HORROR STORIES OF ONLINE DATING

The days of slow, patient courtship where you would meet someone at parties, weddings, bazaars, malls, or other social gatherings are long gone. Did that actually occur, or was it just a Bollywood movie? If not through family, education, or employment, how do individuals actually meet? Swiping someone on a screen to meet them is the trendiest thing right now.

If they are still single, people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s have definitely tried a few of the several dating apps available. The most popular apps in Pakistan are Bumble and Tinder, while the former is still illegal.

Since talking about love and sexuality is frowned upon in Pakistan, casual dating, which is a more modern concept, is seldom ever spoken about in this country. People are resorting to the internet to meet someone of the opposite gender due to the dearth of places where they can meet if they are looking for love or a casual date. Due to peer pressure, boredom, or in rare instances, genuine aspirations of meeting a romantic match, they use these applications.

Online dating comes with pitfalls, many of which were highlighted in the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler. Those who haven't tried it might be unaware of these dangers. This movie explores the risks of putting oneself out there and believing someone you can't see. It chronicles the tale of a conman who conned ladies he met on a dating app.

Sadly, The Tinder Swindler's teachings are not original; many people have had some of the worst dating mishaps on the app. Here, young people from Pakistan share their worst Tinder experiences, prompting you to think about whether or not you do an online dating search.

Fetishes

Wasih, 22, joined Tinder a few months after his split because he was bored and wanted to "explore and swim in a pool of alternatives," like many of his classmates. After matching with a few people, he found a female who only had one image of herself looking normal; the others were of her in hideous cosplay. Wasih thought the girl was attractive and used the cosplay costumes as a topic of conversation. Wasih chuckled, "I assumed she was into anime or anything like that. He ultimately overcame his reservations and started talking to his match. They became fast friends because of their mutual love of anime and crime dramas.

It turns out, though, that the cosplay was more elaborate than first thought. The girl asked Wasih whether she could cut him when they were in the car after their date. He added, "She even carried a pocketknife and a nail cutter in her luggage. It was discovered that she had a penchant for blood. She became excited at the sight of scarlet, fresh blood. I had to flee for my life even though I had no idea what it was or how far she planned to go with it. I canceled the date by having my friend pretend to be calling me.

Uncomfortable movie dates

For some time, Saheefa, 24, had been meeting people through these apps. She is now very picky about the males she meets on the app, though, as a result of her most recent experience. "I went on a movie date with this man who smoked during the entire film. The sound of his eating horrified and disgusted me more than the horror film we were watching. It only gets worse from here, Saheefa mused as she rolled her eyes at the memories. He was still chewing tobacco when he left me off at home, and he leaned in to try to make out. I awkwardly laughed at his daring, gave him a high-five, and sped out of that automobile!"

Manahil, 23, just met a man at his home whom she met on Tinder. The two had decided to converse, play games, and watch a movie together that night. However, as soon as Manahil began to relax, her date received a call, and all she overheard him say to the caller was to come. A little while later, three of his male companions entered the space and kept claiming to be hafiz-e-Quran. They continued conversing as I grew suspicious of their words and deeds, Manahil added. "Frightened, I hurriedly ordered an Uber while thinking about escape routes in case they took advantage of me."

Creepy Stalkers

26-year-old Bilal was lazily swiping on Tinder when he got a message from a girl he had matched with the previous evening. I've seen you somewhere, the message said. He flirted back, grinning at the tired pick-up line, and they decided to meet in the park. It seemed like a good date because it was winter and the weather was nice.

However, Bilal sensed something wasn't right even before the date. Two days before they found each other online, the girl told him that she lived close to the park he had passed on his way home. To my astonishment, she had recorded a brief video of me strolling with my face turned away from the camera. "She remembers what clothes I wore, and how I arranged my hair," Bilal remarked. "I immediately unmatched and deleted the app."

Alina, 18, made the decision to join Tinder in the summer of 2019 while working as an intern at a media company in order to "socialize and discover what's out there." This guy who she characterized as "decent-looking, nice" was the fit for her. She decided he didn't seem dangerous because he was also a law student. Alina opted to meet the match for chai even though it was her first time meeting someone through Tinder. He volunteered to take her up from work because he lived close by.

The two traveled around DHA's streets shortly after he picked her up when they stopped by a juice shop to get some water. Alina claimed that while they were waiting, he examined her fingers and caressed the ring she was sporting. She initially thought the gesture was kind and volunteered to hold his hand while they were driving. Then, strange things began to happen. He pointed to a house farther down the alley and said he would like to live with me as we crossed random streets, Alina recalled.

Before she glanced at her date's face and realized, he was serious, she assumed it was a joke. He then locked the doors and manipulated her by saying he wanted her to stay with him and that he couldn't leave her at home for fear that she wouldn't return. He said he wanted to give Alina a ring and that he could make her happy because he was aware of all of her preferences. The entire time we were in the car, he was frantically telling me that he wanted to marry me, Alina recalled. Before she was able to contact a Careem to take her home, she had to start yelling and making motions for people to assist her.

Lessons learned

Online dating still carries some danger and many horror stories out there, despite the fact that some people have found success with it. Therefore, always ask your dates about any odd fetishes, drug addictions, pals that crash dates, stalking tendencies, and most importantly, always ask about any preconceived notions of secretly getting married to you in a day.