New Delhi, Sep 15: The Central District Cyber Police have busted an organised pan-India matrimonial cyber fraud racket being operated from a call centre in Agra under the facade of a branded matrimonial portal, shaadipartner.com, and arrested its mastermind, a practising advocate.

According to the police, the syndicate targeted men seeking matrimonial alliances and used fake profiles, photographs of women sourced from the internet and staged conversations to create an impression of genuine matchmaking services.

The racket operated on the principle of ‘cheat small, cheat many’, with the accused deliberately limiting the amount extracted from an individual victim to a maximum of Rs 15,000.

The investigation began following a complaint lodged on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) by a man who alleged that he had been induced, deceived and defrauded on the false promise of being provided a matrimonial alliance through shaadipartner.com.

Following the complaint, FIR No. 78/2025 was registered at Cyber Police Station, Central District, under Sections 318(4), 317(5), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the investigation, the syndicate had been operating the racket for around one year and systematically targeting matrimonial seekers across different parts of the country.

To lure prospective victims, the fraudsters initially shared photographs of attractive women through WhatsApp. To establish trust and create the appearance of an authentic matchmaking process, they allegedly arranged telephonic conversations between the complainants and women posing as prospective brides.

Once a victim developed an emotional connection or expressed genuine interest, the accused allegedly induced him to make payments at different stages. The victim was charged under various pretexts, including registration charges, profile access fees, profile activation charges and contact-unlocking fees. In the case under investigation, the complainant was allegedly defrauded of Rs 15,000.

Subsequent technical investigation and analysis of the financial trail established that the entire amount allegedly defrauded from the complainant was credited directly into a current account with the Central Bank of India. The account, bearing the number 0512****190, was registered in the name of the commercial entity “M/s Shaadi Partner Com”.

According to banking records and KYC details, Jaya Shakya alias Shashi was the sole proprietor and authorised signatory of the beneficiary account.

Further analysis through the NCRP database revealed that the same bank account was linked to six complaints registered from different parts of the country. Police said the findings indicated an active and coordinated racket that primarily targeted male matrimonial seekers across India using a similar modus operandi.

Acting on the information gathered during the investigation, a police team raided an illegal and fully functional tele-calling call centre operating from Property No. 25, Ramaji Dham Apartment, Sikandra, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, on September 4.

Jaya Shakya, 44, who served as the operational manager and front face of the establishment, was arrested at the spot. Eight female tele-callers were also apprehended during the operation.

During sustained custodial interrogation of Jaya Shakya after she was brought to Delhi, investigators uncovered the identity of the person behind the operation.

Police said the call centre was financed, owned and masterminded by Amit Kumar, 29, an advocate and BA LLB graduate.

According to investigators, Kumar used his knowledge of legal procedures and documentation to create a multi-layered structure aimed at shielding himself from direct scrutiny.

Investigators said the banking channels and procurement of SIM cards were also structured in the name of the proprietorship firm. This ensured that any initial investigation into the financial transactions or communication channels would lead to Jaya Shakya rather than Kumar.

Police alleged that Kumar presented himself as the firm’s ‘Legal Advisor’, thereby attempting to establish plausible deniability and avoid direct police scrutiny.

Following the raid on September 4, Kumar switched off his mobile phones and went underground after learning that the Agra call centre had been raided by Delhi Police.

The investigation team subsequently deployed technical surveillance to track his movements and zeroed in on his location in Agra.

On September 8, police intercepted Kumar in the Kala Kunj area of Agra while he was travelling in a black Hyundai Creta bearing an ‘Advocate’ sticker on its windshields.

According to the police, Kumar displayed his credentials issued by the Uttar Pradesh State Bar Council and claimed that he was merely acting as a legal counsel. However, investigators said that digital evidence gathered during the probe contradicted his claim. Police subsequently arrested Kumar on September 8.

According to police, female tele-callers were recruited through vacancies advertised on recruitment platforms such as WorkIndia and Apna App, as well as through newspaper advertisements. The recruits were allegedly made to believe that they were joining a genuine matrimonial service.

To establish the credibility of the operation, the accused used documents such as an MSME Udyam certificate, Uttar Pradesh Labour Department registration, a franchise agreement and Kumar’s Bar Council credentials.

Police said these documents were shown to young employees during recruitment to convince them that the organisation was a legitimate and legally compliant matrimonial service.

Investigators alleged that, over time, some of the female employees realised that they were participating in a fraudulent operation. However, the prospect of earning additional money allegedly kept them involved.

According to the police, Jaya Shakya and Amit Kumar paid the tele-callers a 10 per cent incentive on every amount they successfully extracted from a victim. This was in addition to their monthly salaries of around Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000.

To make the operation appear genuine, the accused created dummy client profiles on the matrimonial website and sent screenshots to victims. These screenshots were intended to convince them that they were receiving genuine matchmaking services.

When a victim requested to speak with the woman whose photograph had been shown to him, another female employee from the call centre allegedly posed as the prospective bride during conference calls.

The victim was then allowed to speak with the woman for several days, creating the impression that a genuine relationship was developing.

After the victim had developed an emotional connection, the alliance was rejected on various false grounds. These included claims of Manglik Dosh, family disapproval or an assertion that the woman had become engaged elsewhere.

If a victim insisted on receiving more options, the tele-callers provided details of other families whose profiles were already available on the portal.

By using photographs downloaded from the internet, staging conversations with women posing as prospective brides and arranging calls with people pretending to be family members, the syndicate allegedly created a convincing illusion of genuine matchmaking.

Each female tele-caller had a monthly target of bringing in at least Rs 15,000 in fraudulent collections. Failure to meet the target could reportedly result in salary deductions, while repeated failure led to termination.

The accused also adopted measures to prevent victims from filing police complaints.

According to investigators, whenever tele-callers sensed that a suspicious or angry victim was preparing to report the matter, they would refund the money to the victim to quietly settle the issue.

Police further alleged that when a victim nevertheless filed a complaint through the NCRP, the complainant’s action could lead to the freezing of the proprietorship firm’s bank account.

At that stage, Amit Kumar stepped in and used his legal credentials to handle the situation.

The alleged mastermind, Amit Kumar, a resident of Sikandra, Agra, is 29 years old and is a practising advocate. Police have described him as the alleged real owner and mastermind of the fake matrimonial matchmaking call centre.

Jaya Shakya, a resident of West Arjun Nagar, Agra, is 44 years old. Police have identified her as the alleged operational manager and on-paper sole proprietor of the fraudulent entity. She supervised day-to-day tele-calling operations and managed the female staff.

Other accused identified by the police include Jyoti Kumari, 27, a resident of Mohalla Bichpuri Road, Agra; Karishma Sharma, 24, a resident of Shastri Puram, Agra; Rashmi, 24, a resident of Shahganj, Agra; Anshu Kumari, 32, a resident of Radhe Garden, Agra, and originally from Bhagalpur, Bihar; Meghna Parashar, 23, a resident of Agra; Padma, 26, a resident of Bodla, Agra; and Aashika, 21, a resident of Agra.

Indore, Sep 15: A 16-year-old boy died, and another minor was critically injured after they were allegedly stabbed during a Ganesh festival procession in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place late Monday night in the Azad Nagar area when the two minors, who had come from Tejaji Nagar to participate in the procession, were dancing behind a DJ vehicle, police said.

The deceased was identified as Krishna Panwar, a resident of Asrawad Khurd, while his companion, Sahil, who was injured in the attack, was undergoing treatment in the ICU of MY Hospital, they said.

Azad Nagar police station in-charge Lokesh Bhadauria said the police received information from MY Hospital about the stabbing of the two boys.

“Krishna suffered a stab injury in his chest and died during treatment, while Sahil is undergoing treatment in the ICU. We have registered a murder case and are searching for the accused,” Bhadauria said.

According to police, more than nine DJ vehicles were moving through the area as part of the procession. Krishna and Sahil were dancing behind a DJ vehicle when an altercation allegedly broke out with a youth identified as Kushal alias Kunal.

The dispute escalated, and the accused allegedly attacked Krishna with a knife. When Sahil intervened, he too was stabbed, police said.

Both were rushed to MY Hospital in a critical condition, where Krishna succumbed to his injuries later in the night.

Bhadauria said one accused has been identified and police teams have been deployed to trace him.

“We are also examining the role of other persons who were present at the spot and are investigating whether anyone else was involved in the incident,” he said.

Police said a murder case has been registered, and further investigation is underway. More details are awaited. Meanwhile, the incident has led to tension in the area.

New Delhi, Sep 15: Gurugram biker Sia, who was hit by a car on the Golf Course Road last week, has questioned the law and order situation, asking whether authorities would act only after a biker is attacked and killed, while also raising questions about the restrictions imposed on motorists in the city, when the four-wheelers continue to engage in “rash driving”.

She urged authorities to take action against motorists who drive rashly.

Speaking to reporters, Sia said, “Until a biker gets hit and dies, will law and order not wake up? If you put so many restrictions on bikers in Gurugram, then you should also look at those driving four-wheelers. What are you doing about the people who are driving so rashly?”

“I don’t know when he first saw me because, look, I ride in my lane and watch out for myself. I don’t pay that much attention to which car is moving around me, who is inside or what is going on. The first thing was that he sped past very fast, right next to my bike. That is when I noticed him. I thought, ‘Okay, fine, it might have happened. He might not have seen me, or perhaps that person was in a hurry,'” she said.

“But if you have sped past that fast, then just keep going straight ahead, right? What sense does it make for you to stop ahead, make gestures at me, and then come from behind, hit me and run away? When he rolled down the windows of the car, I saw two people in the front,” she added.

“As far as I could tell, there were two people in the back as well. The car had completely tinted black windows, so I couldn’t see clearly. I couldn’t look with complete focus either because I was riding my bike,” Sia said.

She added that wearing protective riding gear helped prevent more serious injuries.

“I had my riding shoes on and my riding gloves, which have a feature that allows them to slide if you fall. If I hadn’t been wearing my riding shoes and gloves, then the way my hand hit the ground first, my shoulder or legs could have broken. We ride with some safety precautions, and that’s why,” she said.

Sia further said the incident had been widely discussed since Monday, with people expressing concern over the alleged conduct of the car driver.

“He hit a human being and left them on the road to die, and walked away. Even now, that person is roaming freely, giving soundbites to news reporters and presenting his defence. How is he getting so much time? Why isn’t the police arresting him?” she asked.