Delhi Police are investigating whether a 24-year-old man used artificial intelligence tools to create and circulate a fake obscene poster involving a uniformed police officer, after the material surfaced amid a controversy linked to Jantar Mantar. The accused, identified by police as Nadeem, was arrested and is now being questioned by cyber-cell experts in custody.
According to the report, the police investigation is examining how Nadeem allegedly produced the digitally manipulated poster and what prompted its circulation. The material was not a recreation of an actual incident or CCTV footage, New Delhi district Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Manjeet said. It was allegedly created using AI software and showed a uniformed police officer appearing to push a woman.
Police said the poster was circulated in a manner that could damage the image of the department and intensify the controversy surrounding the Jantar Mantar episode. The report attributes this assessment to the police, while the investigation into the accused’s motive remains ongoing.
The inquiry has also focused on Nadeem’s activity on Instagram. Police said he started a new channel in April and presented himself as an “independent journalist”. Within seven months, the channel had uploaded 1,226 posts described by police as misleading and sensational and had accumulated more than 24,000 followers.
Investigators are examining whether the account was used to amplify incomplete or provocative information on sensitive administrative issues. The police have seized Nadeem’s mobile phone and sent it for forensic examination. The device could help establish the software used to create the poster and the sequence in which the material was produced and circulated.
A key question before the cyber cell is whether Nadeem created the fake poster himself or downloaded it from another group or social-media handle before posting it on his channel. Police are also examining whether another person or group guided the circulation of the material. These possibilities have not been established, and the investigation is continuing.
The case highlights the operational challenge posed by AI-generated material during sensitive public controversies. A fabricated image can be circulated through an existing social-media network before authorities establish its origin, while the resulting claims can affect public confidence in institutions. In this case, the police investigation is attempting to connect the creation of the poster, the account’s wider posting history and the people who may have helped distribute it.
The next steps will depend on the forensic examination of the seized phone and questioning during police remand. Investigators are expected to use those findings to determine the tool used, identify the original source of the poster and establish whether the circulation was carried out independently or as part of a wider coordinated effort.
