2 Fake Matrimonial Call Centres Busted In Gwalior, 20 Women Detained

The Gwalior Crime Branch has busted two fake matrimonial call centres that were allegedly defrauding unmarried men across the country by luring them with fake photographs and false promises of marriage. A total of 20 young women were detained during raids in the Mayur Nagar and Jyoti Nagar areas of Thatipur, while two women identified as operators of the centres have been taken into custody. The alleged mastermind of the racket, Tileshwar alias Dinesh Patel, is currently missing.

According to police officials, the call centres were being run under the guise of matrimonial websites, where unmarried men were registered and then systematically cheated. The accused used photographs of models and attractive women downloaded from the internet to create fake profiles, promising victims a "perfect match" and a quick marriage.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dharmveer Singh said the Crime Branch, Cyber Cell, and Thatipur police station acted jointly after receiving specific information about the scam. The first raid was conducted at a house behind Mayur Plaza in Mayur Nagar, where a fake call centre was found operating on the first floor of the residence of Tileshwar Patel, son of Punaram Patel.

During the raid, police recovered laptops, computers, registers, mobile phones, and SIM cards. Twelve young women aged between 20 and 25 were found working at the centre, chatting with and calling men to lure them into transferring money. Police said the centre was being operated by Rakhi Gaur (24), wife of Gajendra Gaur, under the direction of Tileshwar Patel. She has been taken into custody along with 12 others, taking the total from this location to 13.

After the first bust, investigators learnt that a second call centre was being operated by the same network. A second raid was conducted at a flat on the second floor of a building opposite the Dwarkadhish Temple in the Jyoti Nagar area. Seven young women were found working there and were taken into custody. This centre was allegedly being run by Sita alias Sheetal Chauhan (26), wife of Akash Chauhan, a resident of Darpan Colony.

Police said both centres were linked and operated by the same mastermind, Tileshwar Patel, who is currently on the run. Search operations are underway to trace him and identify other members of the network.

According to the investigation, once men registered on the fake matrimonial platforms, the women at the call centres would contact them posing as prospective brides. They would engage in emotional conversations, build trust, and then send QR codes asking for money under various pretexts such as registration fees, verification charges, or marriage-related expenses.

After receiving large amounts of money, the accused would switch off the phones and sever all contact with the victims.

Police revealed that the women working in the call centres were not provided smartphones. Instead, they were given basic keypad mobile phones by the operators and the mastermind. These phones did not have WhatsApp or social media applications, and the SIM cards were registered in the names of the operators or the mastermind. After each fraud, the numbers were switched off to avoid tracking.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the gang has cheated more than 1,500 people and siphoned off around Rs 1.5 crore so far. However, based on documents recovered from the call centres, police said the confirmed number of victims is currently over 100, and the final figures may be significantly higher.

The Crime Branch is now examining bank accounts, digital records, and transaction trails to ascertain the exact scale of the fraud and identify all those involved. Further arrests are expected as the investigation progresses.