Faridabad: A 19-year-old undergraduate from Baselwa Colony in Old Faridabad, Haryana, died on Saturday evening after being allegedly blackmailed over AI-generated morphed images and videos of his sisters, police said.
Investigators at the NIT Police Station report that the ordeal began about ten days prior, when two unidentified persons allegedly hacked the student’s mobile phone, gained access to his data and started threatening him with digitally altered visuals.
According to senior officials, the accused threatened to circulate the morphed content unless ₹20,000 was paid.
“They had created morphed pictures and images of the deceased, along with his sisters,” a police official told HT.
Family members say the student had become withdrawn, was under visible stress and had ceased socialising in the days leading up to the tragedy.
On Saturday around 7 p.m., he consumed poison inside his room. His family rushed him to a local hospital, but he succumbed during treatment.
Faridabad police spokesperson Yashpal Yadav said a case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, reported HT. The police are analysing his phone, chat history and social media to trace how the hackers gained access and produced the deepfake visuals.
Authorities emphasise the disturbing rise of cyber-extortion and deepfake usage, and say this incident underscores the urgent need for awareness, digital hygiene and timely mental-health intervention in such cases.
