Seremban, Malaysia: police investigate reports that schoolgirls' photos were edited with AI into explicit images; a fellow student is the suspect
Negeri Sembilan police said on 17 October 2026, in a statement reported by Bernama and RTM, that they had received five reports, lodged by parents or guardians between 20 and 23 August 2026, over the circulation of photographs of female students at a secondary school in Seremban that were edited using AI to resemble pornographic images. The police describe the victims as aged 14 to 17 and the suspect as an upper-secondary student whom the school suspended for five days in August; the case is being investigated under child sexual offences law and the Penal Code. A lawyer for a group of parents told The Star that the images came to light on 12 August, when a younger pupil found them on an unlocked phone at school, and alleged that the student made about 200 such images of many female schoolmates. The lawyer said there had been no progress after the August reports and that the student's quick return to school had caused anxiety among the girls. The AI tool is not identified.
- AI system
- Unidentified image tool
- Occurred
- Aug 2026
- Reported
- 17 October 2026
- Event location
- Malaysia
- What the AI did
- Depicted or impersonated the person
- Reported harm
- Exploitation or AbusePsychological Distress
- Whose AI use
- Someone else’s AI use
- Setting
- Education · Justice
- Evidence
- AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 4 sources, 2 underlying accounts
- 5 claims: 5 reported. 4 open questions
- People reported harmed
- At least 1 person
AI system as recorded: AI technology used to edit photographs of the students into pornographic-looking images, according to the police statement (tool not identified)
What Happened
The police statement. Negeri Sembilan police chief Datuk Alzafny Ahmad said in a statement on 17 October 2026, as reported by Bernama in English and Malay and by the state broadcaster RTM, that police had received five reports over the circulation of photographs of female students at a secondary school in Seremban that had been edited using artificial intelligence technology to resemble pornographic images. The reports were lodged by parents or guardians between 20 and 23 August 2026 and concern victims aged 14 to 17.
The suspect and the investigation. According to the statement, the suspect is an upper-secondary (Form Five) student whom the school disciplined by suspending him from classes from 24 to 28 August. The case is being investigated under Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and Section 292 of the Penal Code; five witnesses have given statements and the papers will go to the Deputy Public Prosecutor.
The parents' account. At a press conference reported by The Star the same day, a lawyer representing a group of parents said the matter came to light on 12 August, when a younger pupil found an unlocked phone left in the school prayer room containing explicit photographs of female schoolmates that had been digitally altered using AI, and forwarded some of them to his older sister, which alerted parents. The lawyer alleged that the student produced around 200 explicit deepfake images targeting a large number of female students, said there had been no developments after the August reports, and said an investigating officer had claimed there were no criminal elements and suggested leaving the matter to the education authorities. He said the student's quick return to school had triggered widespread anxiety and safety concerns among the female students. A mother of one of the girls whose doctored photographs were found on the phone said the parents wanted an assurance that the images had been deleted and had not been shared or sold, and described being sent back and forth between the education authorities and the police.
What is not established. The police statement does not say how the AI editing was established or name the tool, and its quoted passages do not repeat the AI description that opens the Bernama and RTM reports. The count of about 200 images and of the girls depicted is the lawyer's allegation. Whether the images were shared beyond the phone is unknown; the parents say they are seeking that assurance. No charge has been reported.
Reported harm
According to the police, photographs of female secondary students aged 14 to 17 were edited with AI into images resembling pornography, leading parents to lodge five police reports; the parents' lawyer says the girls have felt widespread anxiety and safety concerns since the suspect returned to school.
Outcome
OngoingPolice say the school suspended the suspect from classes from 24 to 28 August 2026, five witnesses have given statements, and the investigation papers will be referred to the Deputy Public Prosecutor. No charge is reported in the sources read.
What remains unknown
- Which AI tool was used and how the police established that the photographs were edited with AI.
- How many girls are depicted; the figure of about 200 images is the lawyer's allegation.
- Whether the images were shared or sold beyond the phone on which they were found.
- Whether the suspect will be charged.
What the evidence supports
AI involvement: reported. The investigating Negeri Sembilan police, in their 17 October 2026 statement as reported by Bernama (English and Malay) and RTM, describe the case as the circulation of female students' photographs edited using artificial intelligence technology to resemble pornographic images, and are investigating it under child sexual offences law; the parents' lawyer separately says the photographs found on the suspect's phone had been digitally altered using AI. The edited images depict the girls (depicted_or_impersonated) and are the reported harm. The police do not disclose how the AI editing was established, the quoted parts of their statement do not repeat the AI wording, and no tool is named.
5 claims: 5 reported. What the statuses mean
Reported Negeri Sembilan police said on 17 October 2026 that they had received five reports, lodged by parents or guardians between 20 and 23 August 2026, over the circulation of photographs of female students at a secondary school in Seremban that were edited using AI technology to resemble pornographic images; the victims are aged 14 to 17.
Causal attribution. Police statement as relayed by Bernama and RTM; the AI description opens both reports and is not inside the quoted passages; technical basis undisclosed.
- bernama.com(opens in new tab) supports · Malay
'Polis menerima lima laporan berhubung penyebaran gambar wajah pelajar perempuan di sebuah sekolah menengah di sini yang disunting menggunakan teknologi kecerdasan buatan (AI) sehingga menyerupai gambar lucah.' ... 'pihaknya menerima laporan membabitkan mangsa yang berusia 14 hingga 17 tahun itu daripada ibu bapa dan penjaga pada 20 hingga 23 Ogos lepas.'
- bernama.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
'Police have received five reports over the circulation of AI-manipulated images depicting female students from a secondary school here in explicit or pornographic content.'
- berita.rtm.gov.my(opens in new tab) supports · Malay
'yang dimanipulasi menggunakan teknologi kecerdasan buatan (AI) sehingga menyerupai gambar lucah.'
Reported According to the police, the suspect is a Form Five student whom the school suspended from classes from 24 to 28 August 2026; the case is investigated under Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and Section 292 of the Penal Code, and five witnesses have given statements.
Causal attribution. Police statement.
- bernama.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
'In this case, the suspect, a Form Five student, has been subjected to disciplinary action by the school, including suspension from classes from Aug 24 to 28.' ... 'The investigation is being conducted under Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and Section 292 of the Penal Code.' ... 'To date, five witnesses have been called to have their statements recorded,'
- bernama.com(opens in new tab) supports · Malay
'suspek seorang pelajar tingkatan lima dikenakan tindakan disiplin oleh pihak sekolah, iaitu digantung sekolah bermula pada 24 hingga 28 Ogos lepas.'
Reported According to a lawyer for a group of parents, the matter came to light on 12 August when a younger pupil found an unlocked phone left in the school prayer room containing explicit photographs of female schoolmates digitally altered using AI, and forwarded some to his older sister, which alerted parents.
Causal attribution. The parents' lawyer's account at a press conference.
- thestar.com.my(opens in new tab) supports · English
'the incident came to light on Aug 12,' ... 'discovered an unlocked mobile phone left unattended in the school surau.' ... 'Upon accessing the device, the student uncovered a cache of explicit photographs of female schoolmates that had been digitally altered using AI.' ... 'The boy then forwarded several of these images to his older sister,' ... 'which quickly alerted parents to the situation.'
Reported The lawyer alleged that the student produced around 200 explicit deepfake images targeting a large number of female students, and said there had been no developments after the August reports and that an investigating officer had claimed there were no criminal elements.
Causal attribution. Allegation by the parents' lawyer; the police statement of the same day describes an active investigation.
- thestar.com.my(opens in new tab) supports · English
'the student reportedly produced around 200 explicit deepfake images targeting a large number of female students at the school.' ... 'there had been no developments even after five police reports were lodged in August.' ... 'an investigating officer claimed there were no criminal elements involved, suggesting the matter be left entirely to education authorities,'
Reported The lawyer said the student's quick return to school triggered widespread anxiety and safety concerns among the female students; a mother of one girl whose doctored photographs were found on the phone said parents wanted an assurance that the images had been deleted and not shared or sold.
Causal attribution. The lawyer's and a parent's statements.
- thestar.com.my(opens in new tab) supports · English
'He claimed that this quick return has triggered widespread anxiety and safety concerns among the female students.' ... 'A mother of one of the victims, whose doctored explicit photographs were found on the suspect's phone, expressed the parents' frustration during the press conference.' ... 'We only want an assurance that the boy has completely deleted all the images and did not share or sell them on other platforms,'
Sources
4 sources inspected, from 2 underlying accounts. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.
- Bernama, 17 October 2026: Police receive five reports over AI-manipulated explicit images of schoolgirls(opens in new tab)
s1 · bernama.com · News report · English · Inspected · 17 October 2026 · Shares an underlying account with another listed source · Primary
- Bernama (Malay), 17 October 2026: Polis terima lima laporan kes sunting gambar lucah pelajar guna AI(opens in new tab)
s2 · bernama.com · News report · Malay · Inspected · Shares an underlying account with another listed source
- Berita RTM, 17 October 2026: Polis siasat kes gambar lucah janaan AI(opens in new tab)
s3 · berita.rtm.gov.my · News report · Malay · Inspected · Shares an underlying account with another listed source
- The Star, 17 October 2026: Parents urge police action over alleged explicit deepfakes at Seremban school(opens in new tab)
s4 · thestar.com.my · News report · English · Inspected
How the sources were read, and where the events happened
Read in English on 2026-10-18 (HTTP 200). Bernama TV report of the Negeri Sembilan police chief's statement, 17 October 2026. Applies to s1.
Read in Malay on 2026-10-18 (HTTP 200); quoted passages are kept in Malay and the English sense was rendered by the research agent (an AI), not a human translator. Bernama's Malay report of the same police statement. Applies to s2.
Read in Malay on 2026-10-18 (HTTP 200); English sense rendered by the research agent (an AI). RTM report of the same police statement; the page's 'RINGKASAN BERITA AI' box is a site summary feature, not part of the report, and is not cited. Applies to s3.
Read in English on 2026-10-18 (HTTP 200). The Star report of a press conference by a lawyer for a group of parents, attended by some parents, 17 October 2026. Applies to s4.
Event countries: Malaysia. Affected-person countries: Malaysia. Court countries: Unknown.
Event: a secondary school in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, investigated by the Negeri Sembilan police (Bernama, RTM, The Star). The girls attend that school. No court proceeding is reported, so court_countries is empty.
Reviewed for publication 2026-10-18: Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): the investigating Negeri Sembilan police describe the reports as concerning female students' photographs edited with AI into pornographic-looking images and are investigating under child sexual offences law, and a parent says her daughter's doctored photographs were found on the suspect's phone. The police do not disclose how the AI editing was established. No pupil is named.
People described
Female students at a secondary school in Seremban, aged 14 to 17 according to the police, whose photographs were edited into explicit images; their parents or guardians lodged five police reports
People reported harmed in this case
At least 1 person
0 AI participants · 1 other person harmed
Additional affected people are described without a reliable count.
At least one girl: a mother told The Star that her daughter's doctored explicit photographs were found on the suspect's phone. The police speak of victims aged 14 to 17 across five reports without stating how many girls are depicted, and the lawyer's 'large number of female students' is not a count, so the remainder is unquantified.
Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.
Tags
Cite this case
Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.
APA
NOPE. (2026). Seremban, Malaysia: police investigate reports that schoolgirls' photos were edited with AI into explicit images; a fellow student is the suspect. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2026-seremban-malaysia-police-investigate-reports-of-schoolgirls-photos-edited-with-ai-into-explicit-images
BibTeX
@misc{2026_seremban_malaysia_police_investigate_reports_of_schoolgirls_photos_edited_with_ai_into_explicit_images,
title = {Seremban, Malaysia: police investigate reports that schoolgirls' photos were edited with AI into explicit images; a fellow student is the suspect},
author = {NOPE},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {AI incidents},
url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2026-seremban-malaysia-police-investigate-reports-of-schoolgirls-photos-edited-with-ai-into-explicit-images}
} Related cases
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