Kolkata Police’s Cyber Crime Division has busted an alleged fake call centre and arrested 17 people — including 16 women — for allegedly duping victims across India and Bangladesh who used online dating and matrimony applications.

A case was lodged on Tuesday against the accused and “others” under Sections 66C (punishment for identity theft) and 66D (punishment for cheating by personation using a computer resource) of the IT Act, and under relevant Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery.

According to the FIR, filed on the complaint of Inspector Piyali Barua of the Cyber Police Station, victims were allegedly contacted through the platforms, persuaded with false promises, and eventually tricked into transferring large sums of money.

“A particularly disturbing tactic involved exploiting vulnerabilities by making false matrimony promises and false commitments of sexual pleasures,” said an investigating officer.

The 17 who were arrested on Tuesday are aged between 19 and 35, and they hail from different parts of Kolkata and Howrah.

To gain trust, the accused allegedly relied on digital forgery, involving forged WhatsApp screenshots, fake payment receipts, fake transaction proof, and fabricated scam website pages. The accused also forged electronic records to make the call centre’s operations appear legitimate, the police said.

“Further investigation is underway to trace the financial trail of the call centre and identify any other accomplices,” said the official.