A year-long matrimonial fraud racket that allegedly used AI-generated profile photos and fake marriage proposals to dupe unmarried men has been busted in Kanpur, with police tracing ₹41 lakh in bank accounts linked to the operation, officials informed on Wednesday.Representational image (Sourced)Commissioner of police (CP) Raghubir Lal said that the accused allegedly operated three call centre-style offices in Kanpur, where 23 women worked as telecallers. According to police, the callers contacted unmarried men and persuaded them to purchase membership packages costing between ₹3,000 and ₹4,000 through websites posing as legitimate matrimonial platforms.The investigation began after a complainant, Chandresh, alleged he was cheated of ₹4 lakh by a matrimonial website promising marriage prospects. Police said the probe led them to three websites, Perfect Rishte, Shaadi Match and Shaadi Match India, allegedly run by Ranjish, Jagruti and Karam Patel. Police said Rajnish has been arrested in connection with the case, while efforts are underway to trace the other accused.Acting on the complaint, police conducted raids and detained 23 telecallers. During questioning, police allegedly found that after selling subscription packages, the accused downloaded photographs of women from internet, altered them using artificial intelligence tools and sent them to prospective clients on WhatsApp to make the profiles appear genuine.Investigators said forged receipts were also allegedly created in the names of the women whose photographs were used to convince victims that the matches were authentic. The racket is believed to have been operating for about a year.Police said the main accused are residents of Chhattisgarh. Investigators are also examining the role of Amit, a lawyer based in Agra, who allegedly came into contact with Ranjish in Kanpur. According to police, Amit handled cybercrime-related cases and had, in some instances, facilitated refunds when legal disputes involving the websites arose.Police suspect Jagruti may have operated a similar call centre in Unnao. Further investigation is underway to identify more victims and trace the flow of funds.