Delhi Police Special Cell’s IFSO Team Records Rashmika’s Statement, Video Gone Viral in November

In November 2023, an actress Rashmika’s deepfake video went viral. Delhi Police had apprehended the suspect in the deepfake video case. According to a report, actress Rashmika Mandanna has submitted her statement to the police regarding this case. As per the available information, the Delhi Police’s Special Cell IFSO team has recorded Rashmika’s statement in Mumbai.

Delhi Police Arrests Deepfake Suspect

Delhi Police’s IFSO (Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations Unit) Cyber Crime Unit had apprehended a 24-year-old engineer from Andhra Pradesh. Delhi Police had registered an FIR in this case on November 10, 2023. The deepfake was created by the same individual.

IFSO DCP Hemant Tiwari’s Statement

IFSO DCP Hemant Tiwari stated that the case was registered on November 10, 2023, based on DCW’s complaint. Subsequently, extensive technical investigation of the video was conducted. The video was initially uploaded on Instagram by a British-Indian youth on October 9, 2023, and it was shared across various social media platforms on October 13, 2023. During the investigation, more than 500 social media accounts were searched.

Meta’s Involvement

Meta assisted in recovering data from deleted accounts, which took 2-3 weeks. The IFSO team had visited several states during the investigation. Finally, the suspect was apprehended from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. The accused had admitted to his crime.

Rashmika’s Social Media Influence

According to police reports, the accused was running Rashmika Mandanna’s fan page. Despite running the fan page for only two years, he had 90,000 followers, which increased to 108,000 after uploading the video. The motive behind creating the deepfake video wasn’t to harm the actress. The accused aimed to monetize through social media monetization and increase his followers. Hence, he learned video editing courses from a YouTube channel.

Accused’s Actions

When the accused realized that the issue had become national and even big stars were demanding action, he got scared. He deleted the deepfake post and changed the name of the fan page. He also wiped a lot of data from his phone.

Understanding Deepfake

Deepfake is a type of fake video where a person’s face, voice, and expressions are altered. Editing with AI tools has made it challenging to distinguish between real and fake videos. Morphing used to be confined to still images, but now it’s also possible in videos. Deepfakes are primarily used for pornography, where technology can convert anyone’s photos or videos into nude photos or videos.