betia: A 25-year-old man from Muzaffarpur's Bochaha was arrested on Friday for allegedly creating fake videos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Drupadi Murmu using artificial intelligence tools and publishing them on Instagram.
Muzaffarpur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Himanshu Kumar said these videos were made in a manner that could make people believe that they were real and spread misinformation among the public. He claimed that the main purpose of such AI-generated fake content is to cause confusion among the general public.
Kumar said Pramod Kumar Raj, a resident of Muzaffarpur's Bochaha area, was arrested around 7 pm on Friday. The Instagram ID 'jansuraajbochaha' used to publish the video has been blocked in India.
“We have seized the mobile phone used in the crime,” he added.
Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sushil Kumar said investigation revealed that the man had links with political parties.
The Jan Surraj Party is yet to comment on whether Pramod Kumar Raj is a member of the party.
“Prima facie, it appears to be aimed at undermining the dignity, prestige and credibility of the country's highest constitutional office, creating distrust in democratic institutions and adversely affecting social harmony and law and order,” a district police statement said.
“If such AI-generated fake videos are widely circulated on social media, people may react based on incorrect information and there is a risk of public order being disrupted,” police said in a statement.
Police said the case was registered on Friday under sections 197(d) (creation of false/misleading information endangering sovereignty and unity), 351(4) (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication), 352 (deliberate insult with intent to provoke breach of peace)/353 (spreading rumours) and 356. (defamation) and Section 66(d) of the IT Act (cheating by impersonation).
