Delhi Police arrest Rashmika deepfake video creator in AP

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 20

A man behind actor Rashmika Mandanna’s deepfake video, put out on social media in November last year, was arrested today, the Delhi Police said. The accused has been identified as 24-year-old Eemani Naveen from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh.

DCP, Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) Unit, Hemant Tiwari said, “We have arrested main accused Naveen from Guntur. A laptop and a mobile phone have been recovered from him. His deleted data is also being recovered…. He used to run a fan page for a famous film actress (Rashmika) and also created two more fan pages for another two noted celebrities.”

Tiwari said the accused created a deepfake video to “increase the number of his followers …Further probe is underway”.

The deepfake video in question initially showed British-Indian influencer Zara Patel entering a lift in a black outfit. However, through the use of deepfake technology, Patel’s face was seamlessly morphed into that of Rashmika.

After the incident, the Delhi Police filed a case under Sections 465 (forgery) and 469 (harming reputation) of the IPC and Sections 66C (identity theft) and 66E (privacy violation) of the IT Act.

The Delhi Police had earlier interrogated users who shared the deepfake video of the actor.

After the Rashmika incident, deepfake videos of actors Katrina Kaif, Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra, besides that of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, had also gone viral.

Union Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said two days ago that the government was in the process of coming up with tighter rules under the IT Act to ensure compliance by platforms.

The Centre issued an advisory to social media platforms, stressing the legal provisions covering deepfakes and the potential penalties associated with the creation and circulation of deepfakes.

Deepfakes are a form of “synthetic media” crafted using artificial intelligence, employing sophisticated algorithms to manipulate both visual and audio elements. Deepfake technology has become a potential weapon for cybercriminals to disrupt and damage the reputation of individuals, companies and governments.

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