Deepfake videos of Ratan Tata and Nirmala Sitharaman used in Pune investment scams
Cyber fraudsters in Pune used deepfake videos featuring industrialist Ratan Tata and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to deceive multiple women into investment scams. Two reported victims lost Rs 4.09 lakh and Rs 8 lakh respectively to fraudsters who used the fake videos to build trust and solicit money transfers.
What happened
In October 2024, a 38-year-old woman in Pune saw a video featuring industrialist Ratan Tata on Instagram containing a link to an advertisement; she clicked the link and downloaded an application.
A person identifying as Manu Mohan contacted her via Microsoft Teams promising high returns through share trading, gaining her confidence and instructing her to transfer money to various bank accounts and UPI IDs; she transferred a total of Rs 4,09,100.
In December 2025, a 62-year-old woman in Pune encountered a deepfake video on Facebook purportedly showing Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman promoting investment in Government of India projects; she filled out a form and uploaded personal information including her Aadhaar card to an online application.
Following instructions in the video, the woman transferred Rs 8,09,106 to various bank accounts through multiple transactions until May 2026; when she requested withdrawal, fraudsters asked her to transfer more money, at which point she realised she had been cheated.
Reported impact
A 38-year-old woman was duped of Rs 4.09 lakh by cyber fraudsters using the deepfake video featuring Ratan Tata.
A 62-year-old woman was duped of Rs 8 lakh by cyber fraudsters using a deepfake video of Nirmala Sitharaman.
Index analysis
Cases have been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66(d) of the Information Technology Act, with police investigating to identify bank account holders and persons operating the fraudulent applications and links.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.