Rashmika Mandanna deepfake case: Days after bribe complaint, investigation officer changed; police deny link

According to the police, the accused used an Instagram reel and an AI tool to create the deepfake. Later, with the help of technical surveillance, police zeroed in on two persons in Chhattisgarh who were allegedly linked to the case.

“Delhi Police decided to record their statements and a team was sent to Chhattisgarh to serve a notice under CrPC section 41 (to appear before police). They coordinated with the Chhattisgarh Police and sought their assistance to get the custody of the duo,” said a source.

In the first week of December, a Delhi Police team led by an inspector arrived in the state capital and contacted their Chhattisgarh counterparts. “With their help, the Delhi team traced both men to their village. However, a day later, when the team headed back to Raipur with the men and were about to leave for Delhi, their family members complained to the state police, alleging that the Delhi cops had sought bribes of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh,” said the source.

Confirming the development, a Chhattisgarh police officer said, “It was an oral complaint. We have to check its veracity, but it was decided that the suspects would not be handed over to the Delhi Police. We requested them to return without the accused… and told them that the accused will report to them.”

“A few days later, the accused were sent to Delhi along with a local police personnel so their statements could be recorded,” said the officer.

When contacted, Dr Hemant Tiwari, DCP, Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit, denied the allegations and said: “Neither the Sukma police nor the suspects or their families raised this issue. We haven’t received any intimation about a bribe.”

Meanwhile, the questioning of the two men, tracked based on information provided by Meta, suggests they had uploaded and not created the video, an official said.