Kanpur: Using AI-generated photographs of attractive women as “prospective brides”, a fake matrimonial call centre allegedly lured thousands of marriage seekers into paying registration, matchmaking, and meeting fees, cheating an estimated 10,000–15,000 people of several lakh rupees. Kanpur Police have now busted the racket, arrested three alleged masterminds, and uncovered a sophisticated operation in which women telecallers posed as brides to build trust and extract money from victims across the country.The Kalyanpur police, along with the Cyber Cell of the Kanpur Police Commissionerate, uncovered the racket on Tuesday during a raid at an apartment in Kailash Vihar, Awas Vikas, Kalyanpur, where a bogus matrimonial service operated under the name “Online Match Point”.Addressing a news conference, DCP (West) SM Qasim Abidi said the police received intelligence through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) about suspicious activities at the premises. Investigators found that calls were being made from the apartment to people not only in Kanpur but also across Uttar Pradesh and several other states.Police arrested the alleged kingpin, Anuradha Trivedi, a resident of EWS Awas Vikas-3, Kalyanpur, along with her associates Vikram Khoote of Janta Nagar, Barra-3, and Priyanka, a resident of Purana Shivli Road, Kalyanpur. Fifteen women working at the call centre were also questioned and later released after their statements were recorded.According to the police, the gang primarily targeted middle-aged people looking for marriage alliances. There were no actual brides associated with the operation. Women employed at the call centre allegedly posed as prospective brides, held lengthy conversations with victims, gained their trust, and lured them with promises of marriage before demanding money.Investigators said each female telecaller was assigned the mobile numbers of 100 to 150 prospective clients every day. After asking victims about their preferred match and other requirements, the gang allegedly generated four to six AI-created photographs matching those preferences and sent them to the victims. They then collected money on various pretexts, including registration fees, arranging conversations, and scheduling meetings. Even the women introduced as prospective brides were, in reality, employees of the call centre.Police said the fraudulent matrimonial operation had been running for around one-and-a-half years.During preliminary interrogation, they allegedly admitted to cheating more than 10,000 to 15,000 people, collecting several lakh rupees through the scam. Police are now examining the bank accounts, financial transactions, and other records of the accused to determine the full extent of the fraud.Meanwhile, the accused were produced before a court and sent to jail.
