Actor Rashmika Mandanna has expressed gratitude towards Delhi Police after it arrested a B-Tech graduate from Andhra Pradesh in connection with a deepfake video of the “Animal” star that was widely circulated on social media.
The video went viral on social media in November which showed a woman, dressed in a black workout onesie, stepping inside an elevator.
The accused, who has been identified as 23-year-old Eemani Naveen, a native of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, had morphed British-Indian social media personality Zara Patel’s face using artificial intelligence (AI) to resemble the actor.
On Saturday, Mandanna shared a note on her official X page and tagged the handle of Delhi Police’s Cyber Crime Unit.
“Expressing my heartfelt gratitude to @DCP_IFSO. Thank you for apprehending those responsible. Feeling truly grateful for the community that embraces me with love, support and shields me,” the 27-year-old wrote.
“Girls and boys – if your image is used or morphed anywhere without your consent. It is wrong! And I hope this is a reminder that you are surrounded by people who will support you and action will be taken!” Mandanna added in her post.
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According to an official, the accused had created the video to increase the followers on his fan page of Mandanna on Instagram. Deepfake is a digital method where users can replace one person’s likeness convincingly with that of another using AI technology.
On November 10, an FIR was registered under sections 465 (punishment for forgery) and 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 66C and 66E of the Information Technology Act at the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) Unit of the Delhi Police’s Special Cell. The case was registered on the complaint of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW). Mandanna had received support from her colleagues including Amitabh Bachchan, Mrunal Thakur and Naga Chaitanya when the deepfake video went viral on social media.