A gang in Kenya is allegedly targeting men, forcing them to strip naked and get into bed with another man to take photos of them and then blackmail them for money.
The gang of four alleged blackmailers has been extorting money from men in Kabete, a suburb near the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
A Chinese national and man from Mombasa – another Kenyan city – were some of the targets, according to a report in tuko.co.ke.
One of the victims, Shadrack Kimanzi’s Facebook ‘friends’ lured him to an apartment and they turned out to be the alleged blackmailers.
When he arrived at the apartment he realized it was some kind of trap, but the men refused to let him leave.
They forced him to take off his clothes and get into bed with one of the blackmailers. They took photos of the naked men in bed, with purpose of extorting money from Kimanzi.
Police are looking for more victims
Gay sex is illegal in Kenya and carries great social stigma. The alleged blackmailers threatened to show the photos of Kimanzi to his family and friends.
Before they released Kimanzi, the men stole his laptop, wallet and cell phone.
Kimanzi went to the police after the men let him go. The Kabete local police staked out the apartment the men detained Kimanzi.
On May 16 they raided the apartment and arrested three of the suspects. The fourth managed to escape. But police later found him in hospital with a broken leg.
During the raid police found the Chinese national detained in the apartment.
Kabete Police asked other potential victims to come forward and help them with their investigations.
