BharatMatrimony, one of India’s leading matrimonial platforms, has landed in a huge controversy after a married woman’s photo appeared on its elite subscription service under a fake profile. The woman, Swati Mukund, called out the platform on Instagram, labelling it “BharatMatrimony Scam.”

In a now-viral video shared on Instagram, Ms Mukund clarified she did not meet her husband through any matrimonial app and strongly warned others to be careful while using the platform. 

“More acrimony than matrimony, I guess!” she wrote alongside the video.

Ms Mukund, who has more than two lakh followers, pointed out that her husband was in the first part of the video to prevent the app from using their photo to falsely claim that they had met on BharatMatrimony.

The video begins with Ms Mukund addressing the issue, saying, “So, this is a post on India’s number 1 and supposedly most trusted matrimonial app, BharatMatrimony.” A screenshot from the app appears in the video, showing her photo along with the overlay words “BharatMatrimony Scam.”

“As you can see, the picture used is of mine and for the record, this is my husband. No, I didn’t find him on any of these apps,” she clarified.

She was shocked after finding her picture was used in the app’s elite subscription service, a feature that promises to carefully curate profiles for users paying a premium for the service.

“What really appalled me is the fact that this is BharatMatrimony’s elite subscription service, where they are actually charging people pots of money and claim that they are screening and carefully curating profiles to make sure their users find the right life partner,” Ms Mukund said.

Others have shared their own experiences with the matrimonial website.

A user commented, “I have used their elite matrimony paying 1.5 lakhs…it’s the biggest scam. They give you the same few options over and over for one year.”

Another asked to “Sue them big time.”

Someone claimed, “Most of the matrimonial sites use profiles of married people. Even i have reported many.”

“Thanks for raising awareness about this issue which is common across dating & matrimony apps,” a comment read.

Ms Mukund urged users of the platform to be wary of the profiles they find there. “This is an urge to all the users of this platform to make sure that you are exercising discretion before using any of these apps because obviously, what you see is not always what you get,” she warned.

Police Officer Mark Castillo, who serves as the personal driver and bodyguard for San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, is facing allegations of sending sex-related text messages to a married woman while on duty. According to the New York Post, he allegedly sent explicit photos of himself to a married woman as he worked on his police chief’s security detail.

He allegedly sent inappropriate messages to Laura Cisneros, 50, for nearly a month between late April and May 22, often during the hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., his regular work schedule.

Arturo Cisneros, the husband of the woman who received the texts, filed a complaint with the department’s Internal Affairs Unit after discovering the messages. Notably, Mr Cisneros knew the police officer through his wife’s connections and had encountered him at various public events, including city council meetings and a local restaurant.

”Mmmm, I wish I could….slowly,” the cop said in one series of texts.”Stop. And lol you’re going to get me in trouble. My computer is open and they keep seeing you come up,” Ms Cisneros wrote. 

”OK, make sure to erase your messages. TTYL,” Mr Castillo said in reply. 

Mr Cisneros toldKSATthat he read a month’s worth of messages, which appeared to intensify sexually in the days before they were discovered. He eventually contacted family members to inform them that he had found disturbing material on his wife’s phone. He then called 911 to report the affair between Mr Castillo and his wife.

The Internal Affairs Unit is now investigating the allegations to determine the extent of Mr Castillo’s conduct and whether it violated departmental policies. Mr Castillo could face disciplinary action, which may include suspension or termination from the force.

Laura Cisneros told the outlet that she and Mr Castillo never had sexual intercourse, but they did make out in a car. She has since ended the relationship.