Melbourne law enforcement has taken five additional teenagers into custody as part of a sweeping crackdown on a coordinated criminal ring that lures male victims via dating platforms and social media, before carrying out violent assault, theft and verbal abuse. Victoria Police announced the latest arrests on Monday, noting the teens taken into custody range in age from 16 to 18 years old. Investigators from the Greater Dandenong Crime Investigation Unit executed the arrests last week, following 11 reported incidents of this targeted criminal activity in the Greater Dandenong region alone. According to official police allegations, the group of young offenders creates fake profiles to pose as genuine users on popular dating and social platforms, tricking men into agreeing to an in-person meeting. Once victims arrive at the arranged location, they are violently attacked, robbed of their belongings, threatened, and targeted with homophobic slurs, per the official account. Each of the five teens has been hit with a range of serious criminal charges, tailored to their alleged involvement in the ring. One 16-year-old faces counts of robbery, armed robbery, fraudulently obtaining property, and intentionally causing bodily harm. A second 16-year-old is charged with kidnapping, robbery, attempted robbery, and intentionally causing injury. A 17-year-old faces charges including armed robbery, fraud, intentional injury, and sexual assault. The two 18-year-old suspects, both residents of Dandenong, also face robbery charges: one faces additional counts of sexual assault and intentional injury, while the other is charged with kidnapping, armed robbery, attempted robbery, sexual assault, intentional injury, and fraudulently obtaining property. These latest alleged incidents are part of a much larger pattern of criminal activity: since January 2024, Victoria Police have received 113 official reports of dating app-related crimes matching this modus operandi. To date, a total of 50 people have been arrested in connection with these coordinated attacks. In 2026 alone, 11 additional incidents have already been reported across multiple local jurisdictions in the broader Melbourne area, including Manningham, Casey, Hume, Moorabbin and Knox. Acting Inspector Jarrod Dwyer of the Southern Metro Region Investigation & Response team emphasized that this pattern of harmful, predatory behavior will not be tolerated by law enforcement. “This would have no doubt been a distressing situation for the victims involved,” Dwyer said in an official statement. “These arrests show just how serious we are in holding offenders to account.” Dwyer added that investigators treat every report of this nature with the highest priority, and urged any person who has fallen victim to this scheme to come forward to file an official report to aid ongoing investigations. Victoria Police are able to collaborate directly with dating app and social media platforms to trace offender activity and identify suspects, making victim reports critical to shutting down the remaining criminal network. “It is never too late to make a report – so when you’re ready, please speak to us,” Dwyer said. “Everyone has a right to go about their lives, meet new people and start a relationship in safety.”
Five more teens charged over alleged dating app attack spree as police say victims lured, then robbed and beaten
