Rashmika Mandanna's Deepfake Case: 4 Suspects Rounded Up, Hunt For Main Conspirator On

The Delhi Police on Wednesday interrogated four suspects in connection with the deep-fake video case involving Rashmika Mandanna, according to Times Now.

The said individuals are suspected of being the uploaders of the actress's deepfake video. They were questioned based on information provided by META, which identified three of the suspects.

However, they are not the creators of the controversial video which shocked the nation, last month. The Delhi Police is actively pursuing the creators of the video, and as of now, the primary conspirator remains untraceable.

A deepfake video is a manipulated clip in which a person's face or body features are digitally altered to resemble someone else. Such content is frequently used to disseminate false information or deceive the audience about a well-known individual.

Rashmika's viral video showed a woman dressed in a black workout onesie inside an elevator. Her face was edited using AI to resemble Mandanna.

However, the original clip featured social media influencer Zara Patel, and Mandanna's image was digitally edited onto it. The spread of such fabricated videos led to public calls for action against these misleading and fake videos in general and particularly against the one targeting Rashmika Mandanna.

The Delhi Police had sent a notice to Meta after registering a case related to the case on November 10 against unknown individuals. Even after two weeks, the cops have not found leads in the case. An FIR was registered under sections 465 (punishment for forgery) and 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 66C and 66E of the Information Technology Act at the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) Unit of the Delhi Police's Special Cell.

Responding to the video, Rashmika said, "I feel really hurt to share this and have to talk about the deepfake video of me being spread online. Something like this is honestly, extremely scary not only for me, but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused.

Raising concerns about the misuse of the technology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned that deepfakes created by artificial intelligence can lead to a big crisis and stoke discontent in society, as he urged the media to raise awareness about its misuse and educate people.

"In a diverse society like ours, deepfakes can cause a big crisis and even stoke the fire of discontent as people generally trust anything associated with the media in the same way anyone clad in 'gedua' (saffron) tends to get respect from others.

"A new crisis is emerging due to deepfakes produced through artificial intelligence. There is a very big section of society which does not have a parallel verification system," PM Modi told journalists at a programme, last month.