Agra authorities assisted Delhi Police in unravelling a purported matrimonial fraud ring allegedly run from the city, officials said on Tuesday. A 29-year-old man who practised as an advocate, identified as Amit Kumar, was arrested after a raid on a call-centre that prosecutors say posed as a matrimonial service and collected fees from victims across India.
Raid uncovers operations, arrests made
The Central District Cyber Police, Delhi, said the accused presented himself as the legal adviser of an entity operating through the website shaadipartner.com while a woman employee was listed as the proprietress. Police arrested the woman manager and eight tele-callers from the Agra premises during the operation, in addition to Kumar, who was arrested from Agra, according to an official statement.
According to the police account, the racket targeted men seeking matrimonial alliances. Call-centre employees sourced contact details from matrimonial profiles and social media, created dummy profiles by using photographs taken from the internet, and used staged conversations to extract money at successive stages of the alleged fraud.
How victims were allegedly duped
- Callers initially sent photographs of purported brides and arranged phone calls between victims and persons presented as prospective brides.
- When interest was shown, victims were asked to pay for services described as registration, profile access, activation and contact-unlocking charges.
- Payments were sought at different stages, with package rates said to range between ₹2,500 and ₹15,000.
In one case that led to the investigation, a man filed a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal after losing ₹15,000. Police allege that after protracted conversations the proposed alliance was repeatedly rejected on reasons such as Manglik dosh, family opposition or prior engagements, and victims seeking further matches were again asked to pay.
"We found that employees sometimes posed as family members and other female employees acted as the prospective brides during calls," an official said, describing the methods used to make the interactions appear authentic.
Legal action and recorded charges
An FIR has been registered at the Cyber Police Station, Central district, under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita — Sections 318(4), 317(5), 61(2) and 3(5). The Delhi Police described the operation as a syndicate that specifically assessed victims' financial backgrounds before targeting them.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Accused | Amit Kumar (29), advocate; woman manager; eight tele-callers |
| Website | shaadipartner.com |
| Reported loss (example case) | ₹15,000 |
| Packages quoted to victims | ₹2,500–₹15,000 |
| FIR sections | Sections 318(4), 317(5), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita |
The Central District Cyber Police said the syndicate evaluated the financial standing of potential victims before advancing contact, a practice that police say increased the scheme's success rate. Photographs used in profiles were sourced from the internet, according to investigators.
Implications for residents and advisory
Cyber frauds masquerading as matrimonial services exploit emotional vulnerability and the expectation of privacy. Local residents seeking alliances online are vulnerable to sophisticated social-engineering tactics that combine fabricated identities with staged telephone interactions. Police and cyber-security experts routinely advise verifying matrimonial services, checking registrations, and avoiding payments to unverified intermediaries.
The Delhi Police investigation remains ongoing and further arrests or charge-sheets may follow as officers examine digital records and payment trails recovered during the raid. The case highlights persistent challenges for policing in the online matrimonial space and underscores the need for caution among those using internet-based marriage portals.
Local residents with concerns about similar approaches are encouraged to register complaints through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or approach the Cyber Police Station, Central district.
