Delhi DCP's resignation video is 'deep'fake, say police;…

On July 31, 2024, Maharashtra Cyber Police registered an FIR regarding a viral deepfake video that falsely depicted Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner Sumit Jha announcing his resignation. The fabricated clip claimed Jha was quitting due to government pressure to implicate student protesters on false charges.

What happened

The incident involved the circulation of a manipulated video, originally uploaded to YouTube on July 28. In the clip, an AI-generated voice resembling DCP Jha claimed he was resigning to stand with students, whom he described as the future of the nation rather than terrorists. This footage was widely shared by political figures and supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) following violent protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on July 20.

Delhi Police issued a formal fact-check on X, confirming the video was completely fake and AI-generated. They clarified that the original, authentic footage was recorded on July 23, where DCP Jha was actually discussing an overseas misinformation campaign involving Pakistan-based social media handles. Independent fact-checkers verified the manipulation by noting clear mismatches between the audio and Jha's lip movements.

The FIR, prompted by a complaint from a BJP social media team member, was filed against unknown persons under Section 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for statements causing public mischief and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act for cheating by personation using computer resources. Authorities described the incident as an orchestrated misinformation campaign and appealed to the public to stop sharing the content.