India: police say AI deepfake videos of Tamil Nadu CM Vijay offering aid defrauded people in several states; arrested Rajasthan man later granted bail

The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-CID said its crime division found Facebook videos in which a simulated likeness of Chief Minister Vijay, with a Hindi voice-over, urged the public to contact a WhatsApp number to receive financial aid. After an official complaint the CB-CID Cyber Crime Cell registered a case on 1 September 2026. Information from the service provider and analysis of fake accounts and digital logs pointed to suspects in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and two special teams were dispatched. On 12 September a 28-year-old man from Alwar district was arrested in a raid conducted with Lakshmangarh police (Alwar SP Sudhir Chaudhary confirmed the arrest and handover to the Tamil Nadu team, per the Times of India). He was brought to Tamil Nadu on a transit warrant and remanded. Investigators said the deepfake videos had been used to cheat people in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other states, and that a Madhya Pradesh victim's statement and evidence strengthened the case. The CB-CID also said similar videos were being shared from Facebook accounts suspected to originate in Pakistan and is investigating whether they had help inside India. Tamil Nadu Police urged the public not to contact numbers or join WhatsApp groups promoted in such videos. Spellings of the accused's name vary across outlets; he is not named in this record.

Bail (October 2026). The Principal Sessions Court in Chennai rejected the accused's bail plea on 14 October 2026 because the investigation had not been completed (LawChakra; The New Indian Express). On Friday 23 October Justice N. Ramesh of the Madras High Court, sitting as a vacation bench, granted conditional bail: he must appear before the police daily and furnish two sureties. LawChakra reports that the court noted the completed investigation, the ready chargesheet and the seizure of the phone allegedly used. According to the prosecution, he generated the fake AI videos, created two Facebook accounts in the Chief Minister's name and collected money as a registration fee from people who asked for help; the government advocate put the amount collected at Rs 16,000 and opposed bail. His counsel said the videos were generated by a friend who had also used his mobile number and bank account details, that he had no knowledge of them, and that the police arrested him without a proper investigation. The court expressed no view on the merits.

People in Madhya Pradesh and other states lost money after responding to AI deepfake videos of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister promising financial help; the Chief Minister's likeness and voice were fabricated for the fraud. One victim's loss is documented through his police statement; the prosecution told the Madras High Court that Rs 16,000 was collected, and the number of people who paid is not published.

1 September 2026: CB-CID Cyber Crime Cell registers a case under BNS provisions including cheating and forgery and Sections 66C/66D of the IT Act after detecting the videos. Special teams sent to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh on digital evidence. 12 September: the accused arrested in Alwar district with local police; mobile phone, SIM cards and CPU seized; taken to Tamil Nadu on a prisoner-transit warrant and remanded in judicial custody. Police facilitated removal of the videos and were probing whether he acted alone and who runs the Pakistan-linked accounts. 14 October: the Principal Sessions Court, Chennai, rejects bail because the investigation was incomplete. 23 October: the Madras High Court grants conditional bail (daily appearance before the police, two sureties), noting a completed investigation and a ready chargesheet (LawChakra; The New Indian Express). The accused denies making the videos and says a friend used his number and accounts. No trial date is reported.