Fake recruiter used AI images to blackmail teenaged girl, arrested - The Times of India

In June 2026, a college student in New Delhi fell victim to a sophisticated extortion scheme involving AI-generated imagery and predatory recruitment tactics. The perpetrator leveraged captured facial data to create explicit deepfakes, using them to threaten and coerce the victim into financial payments and the disclosure of other contacts.

What happened

The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Sourav, operated by posing as a job recruiter on social media platforms to gain the trust of young women. During mandatory video verification calls, he surreptitiously captured screenshots of the victims' faces. He then utilized sophisticated AI tools to graft these images onto explicit, fabricated content.

In this specific case, the perpetrator sent a 'one-time view' WhatsApp message containing a deepfake of the student. He subsequently moved the conversation to Snapchat, demanding Rs 40,000 to prevent the images from going viral. The victim initially transferred Rs 10,000 via a QR code, but the extortionist continued to pressure her for more money and the contact details of other young women. After the victim deleted her social media accounts to escape the harassment, she was again threatened with exposure, prompting her to contact the cyber north police station.

DCP (north) Raja Banthia initiated an investigation led by inspector Rohit Gahlot and sub-inspector Hanshul Gupta. By reverse-engineering the suspect’s electronic footprint—including IP addresses, bank routing nodes, and encrypted chat logs—the team tracked the extortionist to the Bhalaswa Dairy area of north Delhi. Following a police raid, the suspect was arrested, and his digital devices were seized as evidence. Sourav, a private finance company employee with a history of stalking and sexual harassment, now faces prosecution under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.