Ritangshu Bhattacharyya AI media incident — Nov 2026

A deceptive Facebook advertisement has been identified using AI-generated deepfakes to promote a fraudulent medical product. The campaign leverages the likenesses and cloned voices of several public figures to lend false credibility to claims that a specific remedy can cure blindness and restore vision without surgery. The scheme directs users to a suspicious website designed to harvest personal contact information under the guise of selling the unverified treatment.

What happened

The advertisement consists of three distinct clips featuring manipulated footage of a news anchor, an elderly woman, and a spiritual leader. The first segment uses footage of news presenter Ritangshu Bhattacharyya, with AI tools detecting manipulated audio and visible distortions around the mouth. The second part features a retired professor, Zarine Viccajee, whose interview footage was repurposed with AI-generated audio and unnatural facial blurring to create a false testimonial. The final segment utilizes footage of spiritual leader Shri Premanand Govind Sharan, where AI was used to sync lip movements with a fabricated narration claiming the remedy is supported by Harvard University studies.

Furthermore, the advertisement links to a static, single-page website featuring a video of Ayurvedic practitioner Dr. Acharya Manish. The video uses AI-cloned audio to make it appear as though Dr. Manish is endorsing a medicine that cures blindness within 28 days, a claim he never made. The website falsely cites approval from major health organizations like AIIMS and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare but fails to identify the medicine or the manufacturer. By requiring visitors to submit their names and phone numbers to purchase the product, the scammers utilize this platform to collect personal data for potential future fraud.