A cyber cafe operator and his brother in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi district have been booked for allegedly blackmailing a young woman by creating "obscene photos" of her using AI.
According to the police, the operator of a cyber cafe in Ghosiya, Talib, and his brother Rafiq allegedly took Rs 50,000 to not upload the photos online and later tried to blackmail her and her husband again over some "obscene photos" and previous chat logs.
Talib had allegedly befriended the woman on Instagram and they had had conversations on it.
Police said the duo may have blackmailed more women using this very method.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhinav Tyagi said the 25-year-old woman had several photos on the platform.
Talib allegedly used AI to morph her pictures and sent them to her, threatening to "make them viral" if she did not pay him Rs 50,000.
Out of fear, she did pay him Rs 50,000 in Gyanpur.
Later in April this year, Talib tracked down her in-laws' address and sent obscene photos to her husband's mobile phone.
He allegedly demanded money again, threatening to upload the chat logs and photos and ruin her marriage.
The couple got married in Varanasi on February 8, 2025.
On May 13, the woman's father met with the SP and submitted a written complaint.
On Friday, the police raided the accused's residence but the accused were absconding. Police registered a case against both individuals under section 308(2) (extortion) of the BNS and the IT Act.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the duo has blackmailed numerous girls using this method, defrauding them of lakhs of rupees.
Police have issued orders for the arrest of both individuals, officials said.
(With inputs from PTI)