New Delhi: Delhi Police on Saturday arrested the main accused in the case related to actor Rashmika Mandanna’s deepfake video. He was caught in Andhra Pradesh.
Notably, a deepfake video of ‘Animal’ actor Mandanna went viral on social media in November 2023. In the video, the face of a British-Indian influencer, Zara Patel, in a black workout dress, was edited and replaced with that of the Bollywood actor.
After the incident, the Delhi Police filed a case in the matter under sections 465 (forgery) and 469 (harming reputation) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and sections 66C (identity theft) and 66E (privacy violation) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Rashmika Mandanna, known for her roles in films such as “Pushpa”, “Mission Majnu” and “Animal”, had expressed concern over the misuse of technology after her deepfake video went viral. In a social media post, Mandanna said she was “really hurt” to see the video.
The video also prompted the government to issue a stern reminder to social media platforms, highlighting the legal provisions governing such deepfakes and the associated penalties.
Deepfake is a digital method where one can replace a person’s likeness convincingly with that of another using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.