Delhi man arrested for sharing AI-generated obscene images of ex-girlfriend on Instagram

“The accused impersonated her identity, used her real pictures, and targeted her followers to humiliate her. Fake accounts were created daily without verifiable mobile numbers or emails to evade detection,” said a senior police officer. These accounts were used not only to share doctored images but also to impersonate her identity, said the police.

Police, however, explained that creating AI morphed images was different from creating a deepfake of a person. “Deepfakes primarily focus on creating highly realistic, fabricated videos or images where a person’s face or voice is swapped with another’s, making it appear as if they are saying or doing something they never did. AI morphing, on the other hand, blends facial features from multiple individuals to create a new, hybrid face, often used for artistic purposes,” explained DCP South West, Amit Goel.

A cyber police team employed technical surveillance to trace the IP addresses and digital footprints behind the accounts. “The accused has shared stories from multiple handles. We worked on obtaining IP logs and details from Instagram and on the basis of the same we identified the accused,” said DCP Goel. After sustained monitoring, the police located the accused and arrested him. They also recovered a smartphone used in the commission of the crime and began a forensic examination, the police said.

The police filed a case under sections 78 (stalking) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).