Cops bust gang duping people in name of matrimonial firm, 24 held

Kanpur: The crime branch busted a gang of fraudsters operating in the name of a matrimonial company and detained 24 people. The gang was running through three call centres in Kidwainagar and Naubasta.Late on Tuesday night, police raided the call centres and detained 23 women and a man. During questioning, it was found that the accused used AI tools to create fake profiles of prospective brides and sent them to the victims to extort money under pretexts of registration, profile verification, meetings, and dowry. The alleged mastermind of the gang, Ranjeesh Kumar Gaur, is a resident of Bhilai, Chhattisgarh.Police commissioner Raghubir Lal said that 11 bank accounts linked to the racket showed transactions of Rs 41 lakh.

The women, working at the call centres operating from three houses in Naubasta and Kidwainagar areas, used to identify and contact people through social media profiles or matrimonial advertisements. They then contacted people, posing as employees of a matrimonial company and promise suitable matches.

In several cases, the same AI-generated photograph was sent to multiple people. Once the marriage discussions progress, the operators would ask victims to deposit money in the name of fees.

Police seized mobile phones, computers, documents, and hundreds of SIM cards during the raid. Preliminary investigation revealed that the gang was operating in Unnao, Fatehpur, Kanpur Dehat, and Kannauj districts and in other states.The detained people are being questioned about the gang’s bank accounts, financial transactions, and others connected to the network.