Bharat Matrimony, a prominent matchmaking platform in India, recently found itself at the center of a controversy after a woman, Swati Mukund, claimed that the platform used her face in a fabricated profile. This fake profile not only included her image but also implied she had successfully found her partner on the site—a claim Swati strongly denied. She pointed out flaws in Bharat Matrimony’s profile verification process, which led the platform to address the situation publicly.
In response, BharatMatrimony’s CEO, Murugavel Janakiraman, told NDTV that the profile in question was mistakenly believed to have been created on EliteMatrimony, an exclusive service within their network. However, it was set up on a different platform within the BharatMatrimony ecosystem.
Janakiraman explained that BharatMatrimony allows third parties, like family members or relatives, to create profiles for others. This feature, used by roughly 25% of their users, is meant to help families participate in the matchmaking process. However, it also opens the door to potential misuse, such as the unauthorized use of public images in fake profiles.
Acknowledging the industry-wide challenge, he stated that while they take measures to prevent such issues, “There isn’t a foolproof way to prevent it completely.”
BharatMatrimony’s Fake Profile Incident: What Happened?
In a video posted on Instagram on October 30, a woman named Swati Mukund publicly accused Bharat Matrimony of using her photos in a profile she didn’t create. According to Mukund, this fake profile not only used her pictures but also falsely claimed that she had met her husband through the platform.
The profile, listed under the name Nithya Raja Sekar from Chennai, was particularly concerning to Mukund because it was part of Bharat Matrimony’s premium subscription service. This service is marketed as offering more rigorous screening and greater authenticity for paying members, adding to her frustration over the lack of adequate verification.
Mukund ended her video by cautioning others to be careful and stay alert when using online matchmaking services.
In response to Mukund’s post, Bharat Matrimony apologised, stating,
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. We have suspended this profile and are conducting a thorough investigation on how it got published.”
