Delhi man arrested for AI-generated image extortion and blackmail
A 22-year-old man in Delhi was arrested for blackmailing a college student with AI-generated explicit images of her. The accused impersonated a woman on social media, then used an AI application to create deepfake images and threatened to share them unless the victim paid money.
What happened
A 22-year-old man from Nand Nagari, Delhi, was arrested for blackmailing and harassing a college student by creating AI-manipulated explicit images of her. The accused impersonated a woman on social media to gain the victim's trust, then used an AI-enabled application to manipulate her profile picture and create sexually explicit images, which he sent via the platform's 'one-time-view' feature.
The accused threatened to share the fabricated images on social media platforms and with the victim's family members unless she paid money. Payment was to be made through a QR code linked to a noodles vendor, which ultimately helped police trace the accused.
Reported impact
The victim, a college student, reported experiencing distress and anxiety from the blackmail and harassment. She reported the matter to her parents, who encouraged her to file a complaint with police on January 6.
Index analysis
The case highlights the misuse of AI technology in cybercrime, where AI-enabled applications were used to create deepfake explicit images for extortion purposes. The accused gained the victim's trust through social engineering before deploying the AI-generated content as a blackmail tool.
Governance controls
Delhi Police's cyber division investigated the case and tracked the accused through technical surveillance and data provided by Meta. The investigation analysed chat history and traced the accused's movements using the phone number registered with the fake social media account.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.