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Kolkata, November 4 (IANS) West Bengal Police on Tuesday warned women against fake profiles on matrimonial sites, through which cyber fraudsters commit crimes.
In such a situation, the police has advised women to be careful before falling in love.
Hooghly Rural Police has recently busted a major cyber-fraud racket operating through matrimonial websites, police said on Tuesday.
According to the police, the gang allegedly duped at least 20 women of around Rs 3 crore using fake identities, emotional manipulation and promises of marriage.
Hooghly Rural Police has arrested three people in connection with the incident.
The matter came to light when a 29-year-old woman from Singur area of Hooghly lodged a police complaint. In December last year, she met a man on a matrimonial site who revealed his name as Anupam Roy, a mill owner from Burdwan.
Depicting a lonely life with dead parents and no close relatives, he gradually wins her trust through online conversations. In January, he claimed that his bank account had been frozen due to income tax issues and sought immediate financial help.
Believing that she was helping her future husband, the woman, along with her mother and grandmother, transferred the money to a designated bank account.
The initial proof of repayment was shown through forged deposit slips from a public sector bank. But when repeated demands were made, Anupam Roy kept postponing the video call citing poor network. The woman became suspicious of his indifferent behavior and approached the police.
Hooghly Police said, “When the case first came into the hands of cyber detectives of Hooghly Police (Rural), it seemed like a routine cyber fraud. But what we did not initially imagine was that the real story was so deep and involved the emotions of at least 20 women.”
According to the police, Anupam’s profile disappeared from the website and the phone number became inaccessible.
Police said, “A 32-year-old model named Abhishek Roy was arrested on July 3. Abhishek is the owner of one of the five accounts in which the money was deposited. Based on his leads, Zaheer Abbas (41) was caught within a week and finally on October 14, the gang leader Zameer Abbas (31), who was hiding in a resort in Mandarmani, was caught.”
Police said they illegally used photographs and videos of South Indian models to create fake profiles on matrimonial sites, projecting the image of a rich, handsome and civilized husband.
Police said, “This network was spread across Burdwan, Howrah, Tarakeswar and even Delhi and the total income from the racket was Rs 3 crore. Around 20 young women were trapped in the fraud. We request fellow citizens to use matrimonial sites with caution.”
–IANS
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