Suspects devised plan with help of associates in Delhi, US

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, August 1

The Jalandhar police yesterday exposed a widespread cyber fraud case through which NRIs were duped by creating fake marriage profiles. The key accused, Anand Shukla (29) and Rohit (26), who were arrested in the case had previously worked at prestigious institutions like HDFC Bank and Lyallpur Khalsa College.

According to ADCP Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal, the fraudulent scheme operated with deceptive precision. Anand, a graduate of BSc IT from Doaba College, and an MSc IT from Lyallpur Khalsa College, had worked as a lab technician in the IT department of the latter institution between 2016 and 2018.

Meanwhile, Rohit, who graduated from Trinity College and completed his MA Economics from Doaba College, worked part-time at the HDFC Bank branch near the bus stand and later at Airtel’s call centre in Basti Bawa Khel while pursuing his post-graduation between 2017 and 2019.

As per information, both Anand and Rohit were childhood friends, and had devised the plan with the help of associates based in Delhi and the USA. Setting up an office under the guise of ‘NRI Marriage Services,’ they meticulously monitored NRI-related matrimonial ads in newspapers, web channels and social media. Through virtual numbers, they contacted the victims and enticed them to register on their fraudulent website. Subsequently, they created fake profiles of girls and boys, tailored to match the interests of the victim parties, charging a substantial fee for their services.

The duo managed to dupe over 300 NRIs, comprising both men and women, who were originally from India but had settled in countries such as the USA, Canada, New Zealand, and England, among others. Each client was charged around $500, leading to the fraudulent accumulation of over Rs 1 crore in the last three years.

Motivated by the lure of easy money, Anand and Rohit collaborated with their friends and accomplices in 2020. Notably, their associate in Texas, USA, is reportedly operating another fraudulent website having fake marriage profiles. ADCP Chahal said they have already alerted the US Embassy regarding the matter and are conducting raids at various locations to apprehend other individuals involved in the scam.