The Delhi Police on Wednesday revealed that four suspects involved in the dissemination of a deepfake video featuring actor Rashmika Mandanna have been identified, and efforts are underway to apprehend the primary conspirator. However, it was clarified that the four suspects were uploaders and not the creators of the deepfake content, prompting the ongoing search for the mastermind behind the incident.
Three of the suspects were traced with the assistance of Meta, the company that owns and manages social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The investigation faced challenges as the accused allegedly removed and deleted information from their accounts, complicating the authorities’ efforts to locate them. Delhi Police’s cyber experts are actively pursuing the identification of the key conspirator responsible for the deepfake video.
The deepfake videos featuring the actor were likely uploaded using a fabricated identity, and the utilization of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) has added complexity to tracking down the perpetrator. It has been a month since Delhi Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) at the Special Cell concerning the AI-generated deepfake video of actress Rashmika Mandanna.
Previously, the Delhi Commission for Women advocated for action against the deepfake video circulating widely on social media platforms. Union Minister for Communications, Electronics, and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, issued notices to all social media platforms on November 18, instructing them to take necessary measures to identify and remove such content.
The Delhi Police’s IFSO (Internet Freedom and Safety for Online Users) unit had reached out to Meta (formerly Facebook), but the social media company cited its inability to provide details of the deleted account. Police sources revealed that they are awaiting a response from GoDaddy (an internet domain registry) as a similar profile was created through GoDaddy.
Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the severity of the deepfake issue during an interaction with the media on November 18, stating, “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.”
On November 6, a manipulated video of actor Rashmika Mandanna surfaced online, sparking discussions about digital safety. In the viral video, a woman resembling the actress is seen entering a lift wearing a black swimsuit. The video quickly gained traction, with several social media users confirming it as a deepfake.
