Alwar man arrested over deepfake videos of Tamil Nadu CM Vijay

The brief

Context

Deepfake videos of Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay, carrying Hindi audio, surfaced on Facebook and other social media platforms last month. The Tamil Nadu Police Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) registered cases under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, and traced the alleged creator to Rajasthan. A 28-year-old man from Alwar has been arrested, while investigators probe purportedly Pakistan-based Facebook accounts that shared the videos and the use of such clips to cheat people in Madhya Pradesh and other states.

Key facts

• Shyabu Khan, 28, a resident of Boontoli in Alwar, Rajasthan, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly creating and circulating deepfake videos of Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay.
• Two Tamil Nadu Police CB-CID teams carried out searches in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh before zeroing in on the accused.
• Police seized the accused's mobile phones, SIM cards and CPUs.
• Khan was brought to Chennai and remanded to judicial custody.
• Cases were registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act after the videos emerged last month.
• The deepfake videos carried Hindi audio and appeared on Facebook and other social media platforms.
• A CB-CID officer said the videos were shared on purportedly Pakistan-based Facebook accounts, and a probe is on to identify foreign perpetrators.
• Initial investigations showed the suspects used the videos to cheat people across Madhya Pradesh and other states; CB-CID asked Facebook to take the videos down.

Timeline

1. Last monthDeepfake videos of CM C Joseph Vijay with Hindi audio emerged on Facebook and other social media platforms; cases registered under BNS and the IT Act.
2. Before the arrestTwo CB-CID teams conducted searches in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and advanced technical analysis.
3. SaturdayShyabu Khan, 28, arrested in Boontoli, Alwar; mobile phones, SIM cards and CPUs seized.
4. After arrestKhan brought to Chennai and remanded to judicial custody; probe on into whether he acted alone or in a wider network.

Who has a stake

• C Joseph Vijay, Tamil Nadu chief minister — His likeness and voice were allegedly faked in videos circulated online, damaging reputation and being used in cheating schemes.
• Tamil Nadu Police CB-CID — Lead investigating agency; must establish the network, trace foreign accounts and secure conviction under BNS and IT Act.
• Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, Tamil Nadu Police chief — Said CB-CID used advanced technical analysis to make the arrest despite challenges; oversees the wider-network probe.
• Shyabu Khan, accused — Faces charges under BNS and IT Act; in judicial custody after arrest in Alwar.
• Facebook (social media platform) — Hosted the videos and purportedly Pakistan-based accounts; asked by CB-CID to take down the content.
• Victims in Madhya Pradesh and other states — Allegedly cheated using the deepfake videos, per initial investigations.

Why it matters

Deepfakes of a sitting chief minister, allegedly amplified from accounts said to be based abroad and used to defraud people across states, show how synthetic media can combine impersonation, misinformation and financial crime. The case tests the reach of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act, and of interstate police coordination, when content is created in one state, circulated from foreign accounts and victims are spread across others.