Hyderabad Cybercrime Police book matrimonial site Shaadi.com for cyber fraud

A fake profile was used to cheat a woman doctor from the city to the tune of Rs 11 lakh

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police have uncovered a serious case of cyber fraud involving the matrimonial platform Shaadi.com, where a fake profile was used to cheat a woman doctor from the city to the tune of Rs 11 lakh, along with threats of extortion and blackmail.

The case has raised significant concerns regarding the matrimonial site’s role and responsibility as an intermediary under Indian cyber laws, officials said.

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The suspect, J Vamshi Krishna, who has been recently arrested, had created a fake profile under a different name and exploited the platform’s premium service to contact the victim, promising marriage. “Claiming financial distress, he induced the victim to transfer large sums of money and later issued threats and blackmailed her using personal content,” said a cybercrime official

Investigations revealed similar offences committed by the suspect in multiple States, with over 20 cases registered, demonstrating a pattern of systemic exploitation of unverified digital platforms. Officials said the matrimonial site’s premium service falsely marketed profiles as “verified”, despite no actual document authentication.

The employees shared the suspect’s fake profile without any background checks, allowed transfer of unverified data, enabled contact with victims, and took no corrective steps after receiving complaints. The platform’s negligent business model, focused on revenue generation without safety checks, facilitated multiple such frauds.

A case under sections of the IT Act and BNS was booked against the matrimonial site and being investigated.