The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-CID has arrested a 28-year-old man from Rajasthan for allegedly creating and circulating an AI-generated deepfake video of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to defraud members of the public across multiple states.
The accused, identified as Shayabu Khan from Lachhmangarh in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, was apprehended on September 12 by a special Crime Branch-CID team with assistance from local police, according to an official release cited by the police.
The case came to light during routine monitoring by the crime division, which identified Facebook videos showing a simulated likeness of the chief minister accompanied by a Hindi voiceover. The videos directed viewers to contact a WhatsApp number to receive financial assistance. Investigators said the messages were designed to deceive people into sharing money or responding to a fraudulent aid offer.
Following an official complaint, the CB-CID Cyber Crime Cell registered a case on September 1 under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including cheating and forgery, as well as Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act. Section 66C deals with identity theft, while Section 66D covers cheating by personation using a computer resource or communication device.
Police said digital evidence indicated that the alleged scam had already claimed victims in Madhya Pradesh and other states. After arranging for the removal of the fraudulent videos, the authorities sent two special teams to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as part of the investigation.
During Khan’s arrest in Alwar, police seized mobile phones, SIM cards and a central processing unit. He was subsequently brought to Tamil Nadu on a prisoner transit warrant and remanded in judicial custody. A victim from Madhya Pradesh has provided statements that investigators said strengthened the case against the accused.
The arrest also highlights the operational difficulty of investigating online fraud that crosses state boundaries. The alleged content was circulated through social media, the payment or contact route involved WhatsApp, and the suspect was located outside Tamil Nadu. The police action therefore involved cyber monitoring, evidence collection, coordination with local police and the removal of fraudulent digital content.
Investigators are examining whether Khan acted independently or was part of a larger network. Police also said similar fake videos were being shared from Facebook accounts suspected to originate in Pakistan, and that efforts to digitally track foreign operators were under way.
The CB-CID investigation will now focus on identifying other people linked to the alleged operation, tracing additional victims and determining how the deepfake material was produced and distributed. Khan remains in judicial custody as those inquiries continue.
