Mandana�s deepfake video: Search for key conspirator continues, say Delhi Police sources

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) The pursuit by Delhi Police to apprehend the mastermind behind the creation of deepfake profiles featuring actor Rashmika Mandana is still going on. Despite tracking down four suspects, it has been revealed that they were merely uploaders and not the actual creators of the fraudulent videos, an official said on Wednesday.

The video depicted a different woman in a black outfit entering an elevator. The alleged perpetrator purportedly employed AI editing techniques to superimpose Mandana's face onto the original woman's face in the video.

“Police had asked Meta to disclose the URL of the Instagram account responsible for sharing the aforementioned 'deepfake' video on social media in November, however, few queries were answered,” said a source.

The FIR in the case is registered under sections 465 (forgery) and 469 (forgery for the purpose of harming reputation) of the Indian Penal Code. It also invokes sections 66C and 66E of the Information Technology Act.

This legal action was prompted by a complaint from the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), which took suo-moto cognizance of the 'deepfake' video involving the Indian actress.

"After our notice, Delhi Police have registered an FIR in the @IAmRashmika fake video case. The accused will be arrested soon," DCW chief Swati Maliwal had written on X.