Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay deepfake video — Nov 2026

The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-CID (CB-CID) has filed a formal chargesheet against a 28-year-old Rajasthan resident accused of creating AI-generated deepfake videos of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to defraud the public. The legal action follows a swift investigation into a sophisticated impersonation scheme that targeted citizens for financial gain.

What happened

The investigation began on September 1, after deepfake videos surfaced online depicting Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay soliciting financial assistance from the public. The content was designed to deceive viewers into believing the requests were legitimate, leading to an extortion attempt.

Following a technical probe, the CB-CID cybercrime wing coordinated with the Rajasthan Police to track the perpetrator. A special investigation team apprehended the accused, identified as Siyapu Khan of Lachhmangarh, on September 12. During the subsequent search operations, authorities seized mobile phones and various electronic devices. Investigators successfully recovered the specific SIM cards linked to the contact numbers displayed within the deepfake videos, as well as those associated with the UPI IDs used to route the extorted funds.

The CB-CID filed the chargesheet electronically before the XI Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Saidapet, Chennai, within 60 days of the arrest. The accused now faces charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, 2000, for offenses including impersonation, forgery, and cheating.