CHENNAI: The CB-CID Cyber Crime Wing have arrested a 28-year-old man from Rajasthan for allegedly circulating AI-generated deepfake videos of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to lure people seeking financial assistance and cheat them.
Police have also detected similar videos being circulated through Facebook accounts purportedly operated from Pakistan and are probing whether there is any link between those accounts and the present case.
The accused, Shyabu Khan of Alwar, was arrested on Saturday with the assistance of Rajasthan Police. Phones, SIM cards and a CPU allegedly used in the offence were seized from him. He was brought to TN on a transit warrant and remanded in judicial custody on Sunday, a CB-CID release said.
Police tracing Khan’s digital footprint also identified a person from MP who had allegedly fallen victim to the fraud. The victim’s statement and other evidence collected there have strengthened the case, police said. Probe is on to ascertain whether Khan acted alone or was part of a wider network.
The case was registered on September 1 after the CB-CID detected the videos during cyber patrolling. The AI-generated videos, which carried Hindi audio and purported to feature the CM, were circulated via Facebook and other online platforms.
