Skip to main content
NOPE
Medium reported severity Investigation Opened

Indore parents paid Rs 1.02 lakh after a video call appeared to show their missing son threatened; police suspect a deepfake video, and he returned safe

In February 2026 a 16-year-old boy in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, did not return home from a coaching class, and his family filed a missing-person complaint. While they searched, they received a video call from unknown people who claimed to be holding him; the call showed a boy appearing to be threatened with a knife and the callers demanded about Rs 1 lakh through a QR code. In fear, the parents transferred Rs 1.02 lakh. The boy was found safe within two days and said he knew nothing of any video call. Additional DCP (Crime) Rajesh Dandotia told reporters that the family was convinced because they saw what looked like their own child, that police have strong reasons to believe deepfake technology was used, and that the crime branch is investigating; The Indian Express reports that police believe it is the city's first known case of deepfake technology used for extortion. Accounts differ on where the boy had been. The AI involvement is recorded as suspected because no forensic finding is reported.

AI system
Unidentified video tool (suspected)
Occurred
2 Feb 2026 to 4 Feb 2026
Reported
25 February 2026
Event location
India
What the AI did
Depicted or impersonated the person
Reported harm
Financial LossPsychological Distress
Whose AI use
Someone else’s AI use
Setting
Finance · Everyday life
Evidence
AI involvement suspected · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources
3 claims: 1 disputed, 2 reported. 3 open questions
People reported harmed
2 people

AI system as recorded: A video shown in a live video call that appeared to show the family's missing son under threat; Indore police say early findings indicate the misuse of AI, and News18 adds that deepfake technology was likely used to alter a face and expressions. No tool is named

What Happened

The disappearance and the call. Bhaskar English (25 February 2026) reports that the boy left home on 2 February for coaching and did not return, and the family lodged a missing-person complaint with police. The Indian Express (26 February) says the family had shared his photograph and contact details on social media to find him. During the search the family received a video call from unknown persons claiming custody of him; Bhaskar quotes the mother saying the callers showed a boy with a large knife near him and kept them on a continuous call, and News18 (3 March) dates the call to 3 February. The callers sent a QR code and the family transferred Rs 1.02 lakh.

The boy's return. Bhaskar reports he was traced safely in Dewas on 4 February after contacting a friend and that he said he had no knowledge of any video call. The Indian Express and News18 say he returned home the next day and had visited a temple. Neither version says he was harmed.

Police account. Additional DCP (Crime) Rajesh Dandotia (spelled Dantodiya and Dandotiya in other reports) said the family was convinced because they saw what looked like their own child, that preliminary findings suggest it was not a real kidnapping, and that police have strong reasons to believe deepfake technology was used (Indian Express); News18 quotes him that early findings indicate the misuse of artificial intelligence. Bhaskar quotes him more cautiously: the possibility of an AI-generated or manipulated video is being examined. News18 reports that the call came from a Haryana SIM, the money went to an account in Uttar Pradesh and was withdrawn in Bihar.

What is not established. Whether the video was AI-generated or another kind of manipulated or staged footage, who made it and whether anyone has been arrested are not reported. The family's names, given in some reports, are not repeated here.

Reported harm

According to police and the family as reported by three outlets, the parents of a missing 16-year-old paid Rs 1.02 lakh after a video call that appeared to show him threatened with a knife; the mother described the family as terrified. Police suspect the video was a deepfake.

Outcome

Ongoing

The Indore crime branch is investigating and tracing the QR-code payment, the bank account and the SIM (Indian Express, News18). No arrest is reported in the inspected bodies.

What remains unknown

  • Whether the video was AI-generated or another kind of manipulated or staged footage; no forensic finding is reported.
  • Who made the call and the video, and whether anyone has been arrested.
  • Where the boy was found: Dewas after contacting a friend (Bhaskar) or at home after visiting a temple (Indian Express, News18).

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: suspected. Additional DCP (Crime) Rajesh Dandotia said the family was convinced because they saw what looked like their own child, that police have strong reasons to believe deepfake technology was used to create the extortion video (Indian Express) and that early findings indicate the misuse of artificial intelligence (News18, which adds that the scammers likely altered a face and expressions); Bhaskar quotes him saying the possibility of an AI-generated or manipulated video is being examined. The suspected AI output is a video depicting the missing boy under threat, shown to his parents (depicted_or_impersonated), and the reports connect that video to their payment. The boy said he knew nothing of the call. No forensic finding is reported, so the status is suspected.

3 claims: 1 disputed, 2 reported. What the statuses mean

Reported While searching for their missing 16-year-old son, the parents received a video call from unknown persons that showed a boy appearing to be threatened, with a demand for about Rs 1 lakh via a QR code, and they transferred Rs 1.02 lakh.

Causal attribution. The account of the call and the payment has one underlying origin, the family: the mother quoted by Bhaskar, the Additional DCP relaying the family's complaint, and an unattributed News18 narrative. News18 reports a police-traced payment trail, which does not establish what the video showed.

  • bhaskarenglish.in(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'they received a video call from unknown persons claiming he was in their custody'; 'The accused sent a QR code and asked for payment. Due to fear, the family transferred Rs1.02 lakh'
  • news18.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'On February 3, the parents received a video call from an unknown number. Their son appeared on screen, seemingly being stabbed by the caller, who threatened to kill him unless Rs 1,02,000 was transferred.'
Disputed The boy was found safe within two days; Bhaskar reports he was traced in Dewas on 4 February and said he had no knowledge of any video call, while The Indian Express and News18 say he returned home the next day after visiting a temple.

Causal attribution. The reports agree he was safe and not abducted but disagree on where he was found.

  • bhaskarenglish.in(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'On February 4, the boy was traced safely in Dewas after he contacted a friend.'; 'The minor has stated that he had no knowledge of any such video call.'
  • indianexpress.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'The case took a dramatic turn the next day when the boy returned home on his own. He allegedly told his family that he had gone to a local temple for darshan and was never abducted.'
  • news18.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'The next day, their son returned home safely, explaining that he had visited a temple without informing his parents.'
Reported Indore police say they have strong reasons to believe deepfake technology was used to make the video and that early findings indicate the misuse of AI; Bhaskar quotes the same officer saying the possibility of an AI-generated or manipulated video is being examined.

Causal attribution. One officer's statements relayed by three outlets; the characterisation ranges from a possibility under examination to strong reasons to believe, and no forensic finding is reported.

Sources

3 sources inspected. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation needed. The Indian Express, 26 February 2026; live page 403, read from an Internet Archive capture (HTTP 200). Quotes the Additional DCP. Applies to s1.

Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation needed. Bhaskar English, 25 February 2026, HTTP 200. Quotes the mother and the Additional DCP. Applies to s2.

Read in English by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-11; no translation needed. News18, 3 March 2026; live page 403, read from an Internet Archive capture (HTTP 200). Quotes the Additional DCP and gives the call date and interstate trail. Applies to s3.

Event countries: India. Affected-person countries: India. Court countries: Unknown.

The family lives in Indore, where the complaint was filed and the call received; News18 reports the SIM, bank account and withdrawal were in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. All in India. No court proceeding is reported.

Reviewed for publication 2026-10-11: Published as a core depiction case on three reports quoting the family and Indore police: parents of a missing 16-year-old paid Rs 1.02 lakh after a video call appeared to show him threatened, he was found safe and unaware of any call, and the Additional DCP says police have strong reasons to believe deepfake technology was used. The AI involvement is suspected because no forensic finding is reported; the family is not named.

People described

The parents of a missing 16-year-old boy in Indore, who paid Rs 1.02 lakh after the video call. The boy, a minor who was depicted, was found safe and is not reported harmed. The family is not named here.

People reported harmed in this case

2 people

0 AI participants · 2 other people harmed

Two people: the boy's parents, described as "a couple" and "the parents" who sent the money (News18). They did not use the tool, so they are counted as other people harmed. The depicted boy is not reported harmed and is not counted.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#deepfake#fake-kidnapping#video-call#extortion#financial-loss#parents#minor-depicted#police#india#indore

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Indore parents paid Rs 1.02 lakh after a video call appeared to show their missing son threatened; police suspect a deepfake video, and he returned safe. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2026-indore-parents-paid-rs-1-02-lakh-after-video-call-showing-missing-son-threatened-police-suspect-deepfake

BibTeX

@misc{2026_indore_parents_paid_rs_1_02_lakh_after_video_call_showing_missing_son_threatened_police_suspect_deepfake,
  title = {Indore parents paid Rs 1.02 lakh after a video call appeared to show their missing son threatened; police suspect a deepfake video, and he returned safe},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2026-indore-parents-paid-rs-1-02-lakh-after-video-call-showing-missing-son-threatened-police-suspect-deepfake}
}

Related cases

Medium Unidentified video tool

Brazil: scammers used AI-cloned voices and images of children with cancer in fake donation campaigns; 16 arrested in Operação Sophia

On 14 July 2026 the Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police launched Operação Sophia against a group that used AI voice cloning and deepfake to turn real fundraising campaigns of children with cancer into fake donation appeals: AI-generated child voices asked for money in videos boosted by pages such as 'Clube de Doadores' and 'Unidos pelo Amor', leading donors to lookalike sites that issued Pix codes to shell companies. Sixteen people were arrested across five states. In the campaign that started the investigation — using the image of Kelen Santos's daughter, who was in cancer treatment — police traced R$294,500 diverted, and the investigation found a financial-hub company that moved more than R$1.7 million. The family had to tell congratulating donors that their money had gone to a scam.

High Unidentified video tool

Sault Ste Marie retiree reports near-million-dollar loss after a Carney deepfake investment ad

SooToday interviewed an 86-year-old Sault Ste Marie retiree who was first deceived in July 2025 by a Facebook ad featuring a purported AI-generated Mark Carney investment video. The report describes nearly C$1 million lost over several months through retirement withdrawals, a mortgage and credit-card borrowing. She said she was devastated; her friend described missed bills and loss of her car. The report also says withdrawing retirement funds affected her benefit eligibility. Those later consequences are reported, without an independently inspected financial file.

Medium Unidentified video tool

Bengaluru: a security guard says a WhatsApp video call in which an alleged deepfake 'Chief Minister Vijay' offered him financial aid led to fake 'processing' charges and a fake CBI fine, and he lost more than Rs 1.04 lakh; Byappanahalli police register an IT Act case (September 2026)

A security guard in Bengaluru, originally from Odisha, told the Times of India that on 9 September 2026 he answered a WhatsApp video call in which a face and voice presented as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay introduced himself in Hindi, asked his name, work and where he lived and pressed him to accept financial help. A 'manager' then promised Rs 11 lakh, said Rs 5 lakh had been allotted to him and asked for a Rs 5,000 exchange charge, then Rs 18,000 to unlock a supposedly locked PIN; a caller posing as a CBI officer demanded more than Rs 50,000 as a fine. The fraudsters sent a fake allotment letter and a purported CBI officer's identity proof. He paid more than Rs 1.04 lakh through a digital payment app before refusing a further Rs 50,000 demand, called the 1930 cybercrime helpline and went to Byappanahalli police, who registered a case under the Information Technology Act. The Times of India says the fraudster allegedly used a deepfake AI-generated video and calls it the first such case reported in the city. No arrest is reported, and no link to the Tamil Nadu CB-CID deepfake case or its Alwar arrest has been established.

Medium Unidentified video tool

India: AI deepfake videos of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay offering 'financial assistance' were used to defraud people in Madhya Pradesh and other states; a Rajasthan man was arrested

In 2026 AI-generated videos showing a simulated Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay speaking in a fabricated Hindi voice circulated on Facebook and other platforms, urging viewers to contact a WhatsApp number to receive money for education, medical treatment and other needs. The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-CID detected the videos during routine monitoring, registered a case on 1 September 2026 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, and traced the scheme to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. On 12 September a 28-year-old man from Alwar district was arrested with Rajasthan Police, brought to Tamil Nadu on a transit warrant and remanded in judicial custody; a phone, SIM cards and a CPU were seized. Investigators traced a man in Madhya Pradesh who had lost money, and said people in several states were cheated. The CB-CID is also examining similar videos posted from Facebook accounts suspected to be run from Pakistan.

If you or someone you know is struggling, free and confidential support is available. Find a helpline near you at Signpost.

Back to all incidents