Delhi man arrested for sharing AI-morphed obscene images of ex-girlfriend
Delhi Police arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly using AI tools to create explicit morphed images of his ex-girlfriend and disseminating them through fake Instagram accounts to harass and defame her. The accused used multiple fake profiles to impersonate her identity and target her followers before police traced the accounts through digital forensics and arrested him.
What happened
A 21-year-old man from Palam village was arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly stalking, defaming, and sexually harassing his ex-girlfriend by creating explicit images of her using AI tools.
The accused disseminated the AI-generated photos of his former schoolmate through fake Instagram profiles. Fake accounts were created daily without verifiable mobile numbers or emails to evade detection, and were used to share doctored images and impersonate her identity to humiliate her.
Reported impact
The woman reported that her images were being misused and circulated on social media. The accused targeted her followers to damage her dignity and reputation through a calculated and sustained effort after their relationship ended.
Index analysis
Police distinguished between AI morphing and deepfakes, explaining that AI morphing blends facial features from multiple individuals to create a hybrid face, while deepfakes create highly realistic fabricated videos or images with face or voice swaps.
Governance controls
A cyber police team employed technical surveillance to trace IP addresses and digital footprints behind the accounts. Police worked on obtaining IP logs and details from Instagram to identify the accused, and recovered a smartphone used in the commission of the crime for forensic examination.
Police filed a case under sections 78 (stalking) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.