NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has busted a matrimonial cyber fraud racket allegedly run from Agra by a 29-year-old practising advocate, who used fake profiles, staged conversations with prospective brides and payment demands to dupe men seeking marriage, officials said on Tuesday.
The racket came to light after the arrest of onboard manager Jaya Shakya, which led to the unmasking of the real owner and mastermind, advocate Amit Kumar, DCP (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said.
The syndicate had been operating for the last year, targeting matrimonial seekers across the country. Fraudsters shared photographs of attractive prospective brides on WhatsApp.
To cement trust, they staged telephonic conversations by arranging calls between complainants and prospective brides, an officer said.
Once emotional rapport was established, the perpetrators induced victims to transfer funds. They charged them under various pretexts, including registration, profile access, profile activation and contact unlocking fees.
One complainant was ultimately defrauded of `15,000. Police raided an illegal, tele-calling centre in Agra, on September 4. Shakya, the manager, was arrested on the spot. Eight female tele-callers were also apprehended.
During interrogation, Shakya revealed that the call centre was financed, owned and masterminded by Kumar. To shield himself, Kumar floated a proprietorship firm in Shakya’s name and registered it as an MSME. Kumar switched off his mobile device and went underground.
Technical surveillance traced him in Agra. On September 8, he was intercepted in the Kala Kunj area, as he was allegedly preparing bail arrangements for his arrested accomplice.
The accused targeted men seeking brides. Tele-callers recruited through apps and newspaper advertisements sent internet-sourced photographs of unknown women and created dummy client profiles on shaadipartner.com.
When victims asked to speak to a woman, female staff posed as prospective brides. After a few days, alliances were rejected on false pretexts.