A man who posed as a prospective groom on Shaadi.com has been arrested by the Hyderabad City Police’s Cyber Crime Wing for duping a woman doctor of nearly ₹11 lakh and threatening her with blackmail.
An official release from the Cyber Crimes police said that the accused, identified as Jogada Vamshi Krishna, allegedly created a fake profile under the name ‘Harsha Cherukuri’ on the platform and used its premium ‘Select Shaadi’ service to target the victim.
“After winning her trust with promises of marriage, he claimed financial troubles and coaxed her into transferring large sums. He later resorted to threats and blackmail using personal material. He was arrested on March 15,” according to a police press release.
Investigations revealed Krishna has a history of similar scams across multiple States, with over 20 cases filed against him, pointing to a broader pattern of digital exploitation through unverified online profiles.
The release further explained that despite offering paid ‘verified’ profiles, the platform reportedly failed to conduct any genuine identity checks, said the officer.
“A relationship manager shared the fraudster’s fake profile with the victim without background verification. Senior officials at Shaadi.com, including director Anupam Mittal, team lead, and manager Satish among others, have been named for enabling the transmission of false data and taking no action despite receiving complaints,” read the statement from the cyber crimes police.
Under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, platforms like Shaadi.com are obliged to verify users, promptly act on complaints, and implement adequate safety mechanisms. Hyderabad Police have stated that the platform’s negligence has stripped it of its ‘safe harbour’ protection under Section 79 of the IT Act, making it criminally liable under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other cyber laws.
A case has been registered invoking multiple sections of the BNS and the IT Act, including Sections 66C and 66D of the latter.
Citizens are advised not to rely blindly on ‘verified’ badges on matrimonial or dating platforms, avoid sharing private content online, and report any suspicious activity by dialling the cyber helpline 1930 or visiting cybercrime.gov.in.
Published – April 25, 2025 09:32 am IST
