Tamil Nadu CB-CID nabs Rajasthan scammer who circulated Al-generated deep fake video impersonating CM Vijay

The Crime Branch CID of the Tamil Nadu police have arrested a suspect in Rajasthan, who allegedly created and circulated deep fake videos with Hindi audio impersonating the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, across social media platforms “with an intention to cheat innocent people”. 

The State police in a statement said, the accused Shyabu Khan (28) of Boontoli near Alwar and his associates used the videos asking the general public to contact a WhatsApp number for any financial help.

During a regular cyber patrolling, the cybercrime team of the CBCID came across the Al-generated videos. A case was registered in Cyber Crime Cell under various provisions of law and the special teams were formed to probe the case.

Investigation revealed the scammers used these Al-generated videos to defraud multiple people across Madhya Pradesh and other States, operating with impunity. Apart from taking down the deep fake Al videos, investigators obtained data from the intermediaries and service providers and carried out in-depth analysis of the digital trails. 

They tracked the prime suspect’s movements to the hinterlands of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and arrested him with the help of Rajasthan police near Alwar. Mobile phones and other electronic gadgets used to commit the offence were seized.

The accused Shyabu Khan was produced in a local court for transit a warrant before being brought to Chennai. 

Police said many such videos were being shared on Pakistan-based Facebook IDs. “Despite the operational challenges involved, extensive digital probing is underway to identify the foreign perpetrators and expose any local accomplices,” the police said.

Director-General of Police and Head of the Police Force Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal appreciated the officers and team for conducting the operation involving advanced technical analysis which led to the arrest of the accused.