AI-Generated 'Brides' on Facebook and Instagram - India busts Matrimonial Call Centre
Police in Durg, Chhattisgarh, have arrested Parmanand Yadav, 24, for running a fake matrimonial call centre that used AI-generated pictures of women on Facebook and Instagram to collect Rs 2,000 and more from prospective grooms in several states. Victims paid through QR codes and were then blacklisted. Police seized Rs 2,83,600 in cash and equipment.
Police in Durg district of India's Chhattisgarh state have arrested a 24-year-old man accused of running a fake matrimonial call centre that used AI-generated pictures of women on Facebook and Instagram to take money from men looking for a bride in several states.
Supela police said Parmanand Yadav, 24, of Durg, had run the operation for about three months under three names: Kalyan Matrimony, Elite Match Matrimony and Future Partner.
Acting on a tip-off on 29 October 2026, a police team raided a hall in a building at Uttar Gangotri Bhawan, near a Union Bank branch in Supela, Bhilai, where the bureau was operating as Elite Match Matrimony.
Police said the centre used fake SIM cards and mule bank accounts.
Yadav was booked under Sections 317(2) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which cover dishonestly receiving stolen property and cheating by personation, in Crime No. 1630/2026 at Supela police station.
He was produced in court and sent to judicial remand.
How the scheme worked
According to the Durg Police press note:
- Yadav ran matrimonial adverts on Facebook and Instagram under the three bureau names, using AI-generated pictures of women who do not exist and fake mobile numbers.
- Men in other states who wanted to marry saw the adverts, called the numbers and sent in their biodata.
- Callers were promised marriage to the woman of their choice.
- They were sent QR codes linked to bank accounts opened in the name of a "marriage counsellor", and asked to pay an initial Rs 2,000, followed by further sums under other heads.
- Once the money arrived, the caller's number was blacklisted and contact was cut off.
The centre made and received about 20 to 50 calls a day.
Police said complaints against several of the bank accounts had already been logged on Samanvay, the central government's cybercrime coordination portal.
Four young women were found working at the premises.
Police said Yadav had recruited them with the offer of a job at a good company at Rs 7,000 a month, gave them two days of training and then had them speak to callers as marriage counsellors and collect payments through QR codes.
Media report: Amar Ujala reported that the women were not aware of the fraud.
What was seized
Police put the total value of the seizure at Rs 2,83,600. It included:
- Rs 1,64,000 in cash
- 22 keypad mobile phones and 4 Android phones
- 16 SIM cards from Airtel and Vi
- A computer set and an Airtel Wi-Fi device
- Cheque books and a passbook for accounts at Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank, Federal Bank, State Bank of India and IDBI Bank
- Payment QR codes, promotional flex banners for the bureau, and registers listing customers' phone numbers and payments
Police are examining the seized documents, bank accounts and phone numbers.
The number of victims and the total amount lost have not been made public.
Police team
The raid was carried out by a Supela police team led by Station House Officer Inspector S.N. Singh, with Sub-Inspectors Khelan Sahu, Namita Tekam, Mithlesh Sahu and Santosh Nirmalkar.
Not the first case in the state
Media report: In August 2026, Janjgir-Champa police arrested two men, Lala Sahu alias Laxmi Narayan Sahu and Sonu Sahu, who promoted a fake "Pavitra Rishta" matrimonial agency on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.
Police said one of them used a voice-changing app and AI tools to speak to prospective grooms in a woman's voice, and that complaints had come from several districts (ETV Bharat, Dainik Bhaskar).
Advice for matrimonial-site users
- Verify any profile or bureau before paying. Speak to the family on a video call and meet in person before sending money.
- Run a reverse image search (Google Lens, Bing Visual Search or TinEye) on profile photos. AI-generated faces often show no history online, and may have odd hands, ears, jewellery or backgrounds.
- Be wary of bureaus that exist only as Facebook or Instagram pages with mobile numbers, and that have no registered office, website or GST details.
- Never pay registration or "match" fees through a QR code that leads to a personal bank account or UPI ID.
- Never share Aadhaar, bank details, OTPs or documents with unknown matchmakers, and never let anyone use your bank account.
- If you have been cheated, call the national cyber helpline 1930 or file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in.
Source: Durg Police press note, 30 October 2026, as reproduced by local media; Dainik Bhaskar; Amar Ujala; Times Now Navbharat; Dispatch News.