68-year-old electrician drugged and raped more than 50 women via dating apps in Germany

The 68-year-old electrician who drugged and raped women he met through dating apps in Germany

A 68-year-old electrician has been arrested in Germany on charges of drugging and raping more than 50 women he met through dating apps. The man, whose nationality has not been officially confirmed, recorded the assaults and shared them online. The case has shocked the country, particularly because of the suspect's advanced age and the scale of the number of victims.

A pattern of sensual violence shared online

The arrest came less than a week after a 32-year-old doctor of Chinese origin was sentenced to five years in prison for aggravated rape. According to the verdict, the young man was part of a chat group where information was exchanged on how to sedate and rape women. The court found that he had repeatedly given other members advice on how to commit the abuses.

The judge presiding over the case pointed to a worrying shift in how these crimes are committed: "Sens crimes are no longer committed in silence and secrecy, but are publicly shared on the internet and applauded." The remark sums up a growing phenomenon of documenting and socially validating sensual violence in digital spaces.

Both cases, the electrician's and the doctor's, point to the same reality: technology is used not only to contact victims, but also to build communities that normalize and celebrate assault. While the investigation determines whether there were links between the two men, the most unsettling fact is that a 68-year-old retiree was able to deceive dozens of women and record his rapes without raising suspicion for years.