No OTP, no problem: Ahmedabad gang uses AI deepfakes to bypass Aadhaar checks - India Today
A gang in Ahmedabad used AI deepfakes to bypass Aadhaar biometric checks, fraudulently obtaining a loan and accessing the victim's DigiLocker.
- Incident date
- Apr 2026
- Target
- Unnamed businessman
An Ahmedabad-based businessman discovered that his Aadhaar-linked mobile number had been changed and a loan taken out in his name. This was accomplished using AI-generated deepfakes to bypass biometric verification.
What happened
The gang used Google's Gemini AI to create deepfake videos of the victim. These videos were then used to bypass Aadhaar biometric authentication, allowing the criminals to change the businessman's registered mobile number and redirect OTPs. Using the victim's Aadhaar number and personal data, the gang opened an account at Jio Payments Bank and took out a loan. One of the arrested individuals worked at a Common Service Centre and misused his access to Aadhaar systems to execute the mobile number change.