Kozhikode, Kerala: police say a deepfake video call imitating a former colleague cost a retired man Rs 40,000; five later arrested
A retired Union (central) government employee in Kozhikode, Kerala, sent Rs 40,000 on 9 July 2023 after a WhatsApp video call and voice call from someone who looked like a former senior colleague and asked for money for a relative's surgery, the New Indian Express reported; Kerala cyber police traced the money and blocked the recipient account. In June 2024 Kozhikode police said the perpetrator had used AI-powered face-swapping technology to impersonate the former colleague on the video call, and that they had arrested five suspects from several states, according to Mathrubhumi.
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution supported · 2 sources · Added 22/10/2026