HYDERABAD: Narsingi Police on Friday arrested six persons for allegedly attempting to extort 5 crore from MLC Mirza Rahmat Baig by threatening to circulate morphed photographs and deepfake videos of him.
The accused had already extorted Rs 5 lakh and were caught while collecting another Rs 4 lakh from him.
The arrested persons are Mohd Mohsin Khan, Fathima Begum alias Reema, Mohd Sameer, Mohd Zameer, Mohd Imran and Syed Rehan. Some other accused are absconding.
Police said the accused had conspired to blackmail the MLC by threatening to circulate objectionable photographs and deepfake videos on social media, damaging his political and social reputation. They had also threatened him with harm if he failed to pay.
After initially demanding 5 crore, the accused allegedly extorted Rs 5 lakh through an intermediary and demanded another Rs 5 lakh.
On November 5, Fathima Begum, accompanied by four others, went to the MLC’s office at Ibrahim Bagh and collected a cotton box containing Rs 4 lakh in cash. Police, acting on credible information, intercepted them while they were leaving and arrested four persons. Mohd Mohsin Khan was subsequently apprehended.
Police said the accused had allegedly planned the extortion to make quick money owing to financial difficulties. The investigation is under way to identify the remaining persons involved in the conspiracy and the creation and circulation of the material.
It may be recalled that AIMIM expelled Rahmat Baig from the party with immediate effect on August 29, 2026, and asked him to resign as MLC. The action followed a controversy over purported objectionable videos allegedly involving him, which surfaced on social media.
The allegations were never established, and Baig maintained that the videos were AI-generated. He has not submitted his resignation to the Legislative Council Chairman.