The Delhi Police announced on Wednesday, December 20, that they successfully traced four suspects involved in the deep fake video case of actress Rashmika Mandanna. According to Delhi Police officials, the suspects identified were uploaders, not creators.
Delhi Police's cyber experts are currently hunting for the key conspirator behind the post.
A statement from news agency ANI reported, "Delhi Police say it has tracked down four suspects, who turned out to be uploaders, not the creators, involved in the case of deep fake profiles of actor Rashmika Mandana. Police are looking for the key conspirator in the case."
How is the investigation going?
The alleged perpetrator reportedly utilized AI editing techniques to superimpose Mandana’s face onto the original woman’s face in the video. In November, the police requested Meta to disclose the URL of the Instagram account responsible for sharing the 'deepfake' video, but only a few queries were addressed, according to a police official.
The investigation faced obstacles as the accused reportedly removed and deleted information from their accounts, making it challenging for authorities to locate them. It is also reported that the deepfake videos featuring the actor were likely uploaded using a fake identity, and the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which added another layer of difficulty in tracking the perpetrator.
It has been a month since the Delhi Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) at the Special Cell in connection with the deepfake AI-generated video of actress Rashmika Mandanna.
Earlier, the Delhi Commission for Women had also sought action over the deepfake video of actress Rashmika Mandanna, which circulated widely on social media platforms.
Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said on November 18 that notices were issued to all social media platforms directing them to take necessary steps to identify and remove such content. Vaishnaw reportedly said, "Deepfake is a big issue for all of us. We recently issued notices to all the big social media forms, asking them to take steps to identify deepfakes, to remove those content. The social media platforms have responded. They are taking action. We have told them to be more aggressive in this work."
What was in the video?
A widely circulated deep fake video of actress Rashmika Mandanna featured a woman in a black outfit entering an elevator, her face seamlessly swapped with Mandanna's using AI editing techniques.
The modified video, posted on November 6, sparked discussions on digital safety, quickly gaining viral traction. Numerous social media users confirmed its deepfake nature.
