Chennai, Oct. 24:
A man from Rajasthan who was arrested in connection with an alleged artificial intelligence-generated deepfake video impersonating Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has been granted bail.
The case relates to fabricated videos circulated on Facebook and other social media platforms in which a person appearing to be Vijay, with Hindi audio, purportedly offered financial assistance to members of the public. Viewers were asked to contact a WhatsApp number to seek help, allegedly as part of an attempt to defraud people.
The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department’s Cyber Crime Cell registered a case on September 1 after detecting the video. Investigators approached Meta seeking information about the fake social media account and relevant digital records to trace those behind its circulation.
Police investigations indicated that similar AI-generated videos had allegedly been used to cheat people in Madhya Pradesh and other States. Investigators examined digital trails and information obtained from service providers to trace the suspects.
A special team of Tamil Nadu police, with assistance from Rajasthan police, arrested Shyabu Khan, 28, of Lachhmangarh in Alwar district, Rajasthan, in September. He was brought to Tamil Nadu on a transit warrant and remanded in judicial custody.
The investigation was also examining whether the accused acted alone or was part of a wider network involved in creating and circulating fraudulent videos. Police had earlier cautioned the public against responding to suspicious phone numbers or joining WhatsApp groups advertised through such videos.
The reported grant of bail does not by itself establish the innocence or guilt of the accused. The case concerns the alleged misuse of AI-generated content to impersonate a public figure and exploit people’s trust in the Chief Minister’s office.