Cyberabad police arrest conman accused of 9 matrimonial frauds, fleeced woman of Rs.2.70 cr

HYDERABAD: The Cybercrime police in Cyberabad arrested a habitual offender on Sunday, who was involved in committing matrimonial frauds. He targeted innocent girls and women seeking grooms on matrimonial websites by creating fake profiles.

Potluri Sribala Vamshi Krishna (37), hailing from Poranki village in Vijayawada district, Andhra Pradesh, portrayed himself as an employee of a specific company. He claimed to have secured an onsite offer in the US and made false promises to the victims about going abroad after marriage, ultimately deceiving them into substantial financial losses under the pretext of Visa processing.

The investigation began when a 30-year-old woman from Madinaguda, Hyderabad, filed a complaint with the Cybercrime police in Cyberabad on March 16, 2024. In her complaint, she disclosed that in November 2023, she uploaded her details on the Shaadi dotcom matrimony app, where met Rishi Kumar, a US resident with Profile ID 4SH47654888.

Their communication transitioned from the Shaadi.com app to WhatsApp, where Rishi Kumar, claiming to be an Assistant Director at Glenmark Pharma, enticed her into a fraudulent scheme under the guise of marriage proposal discussions. Rishi Kumar informed her that to process a US Partner Visa, her CIBIL score needed to be 845, higher than her actual score of 743.

Also Read: Fraudster on matrimonial website arrested for extorting Rs 70 lakh from woman

He purportedly offered to assist in increasing her CIBIL score through loans facilitated by his company, Glenmark. Misleadingly, he manipulated her into obtaining numerous loans, including personal loans, credit cards, and even a car loan, under the pretext of boosting her CIBIL score.

Additionally, Rishi Kumar persuaded her 35-year-old cousin to participate in the scheme by promising her job opportunities at Microsoft, Australia. Under false pretenses, Rishi Kumar coerced the victim's cousin sister into taking substantial loans to purportedly enhance her CIBIL score, with promises of repayment within a short period.

Rishi Kumar and his alleged accomplice, Nirmala, who claimed to be a board member at Microsoft, manipulated her cousin into believing in the legitimacy of the scheme, resulting in her substantial financial losses.

Despite Rishi Kumar's assurances of refunds and reports of a purportedly increased CIBIL score, victim and her cousin suffered significant financial losses amounting to Rs. 2,71,79,044 and took legal action against Rishi Kumar.

Based on the above complaint, a case was registered at Cybercrime police station, Cyberabad.

Potluri Sribala Vamshi Krishna was addicted to playing online betting and racecourses. Lacking sufficient funds to indulge in these activities, he devised a scheme to deceive innocent women/girls seeking grooms through matrimonial apps to obtain money.

Following his plan, he registered his profile with Shaadi dotcom under the alias Potluri and paid Rs.2,500 for membership. Subsequently, he expressed interest in numerous profiles, with approximately five to six profiles accepting his request. Upon acceptance, he initiated contact with them through various phone numbers and WhatsApp and engaged in discussions about family and career to gain the trust of the innocent victims.

Gradually, during these discussions, he executed his plan, aiming to persuade them to go to the US via a US partner Visa. He fabricated stories, claiming that their CIBIL score was inadequate for obtaining the visa and that to boost their CIBIL, victims must secure loans from various apps and banks.

Believing the fraudster's narrative, the victims fell into the trap and took out loans. Subsequently, the accused obtained their internet banking credentials and transferred the substantial sum to his bank accounts, which he used for his extravagant expenses

As per his plan, the accused, Potluri Sribala Vamshi Krishna, perpetrated matrimonial fraud on numerous innocent women/girls via Shaadi.com. He faced arrest nine times in various police stations, including those in Hyderabad, Chaitanyapuri, Patamata, Narsing, Ramagundam, Cybercrime police stations in Hyderabad and Cyberabad, and Tambaram police station in Chennai, between 2011 and 2023.

The police advise the citizens

• To not believe online websites blindly.
• Refrain from transferring any amount without physically meeting the person and conducting proper verification.
• Exercise caution with unknown SMS/WhatsApp messages from strangers and avoid clicking on links shared by unknown individuals.
• It is recommended that the public report any cybercrime incidents on Cybercrime portal or by dialing 1930