E-Paper
2 nabbed for running fake marriage bureau, duping NRIs of ₹1 crore
Used to get NRIs to sign up on a website and app they had created, and cut contact once they paid the registration fee
Two youths have been arrested for allegedly duping NRIs of around ₹1 crore by means of a fake marriage bureau.
The accused have been identified as Anand Shukla, 29, and Rohit Kumar, 26, both residents of Jalandhar. While Anand is said to have a Masters in Information Technology, Rohit is an economics graduate and a website developer, as per the police.
Police commissioner Kuldeep Chahal said the accused had developed an application and a website on which they used to create fake profiles, after fetching data from genuine websites. They would then contact NRIs looking for brides and grooms to sign-up on their website/app for which they charged $ 400-700 (USD) per applicant for registration.
The accused used to get the NRIs contact numbers through matrimonial advertisements and other platforms, Chahal added.
The police commissioner said that once the NRIs signed up, the accused would cut contact with them by switching to other virtual numbers and disabling their other contact details.
“The accused have confessed that they have been into this illegal business since 2020 and had allegedly made ₹1 crore through shoddy deals,” the CP said.
Deputy commissioner of police Harwinder Singh Virk said as per available information, the accused charged $ 400-700 (USD) per applicant for registration on their app.
Police have registered the case under Sections 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and other sections of IT Act.
Police have also recovered seven desktop computers, three laptops, two mobile phones and ₹16,500 from their possession.
