SC grants interim protection to Ranveer Allahbadia, bars further FIRs
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim protection to YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia in connection with multiple FIRs filed against him over his remarks on the show India’s Got Latent. The court directed that no further FIRs shall be registered against him based on the episode while asking him to submit his passport to the police.
A bench of the apex court instructed Allahbadia to cooperate with the ongoing investigations in Maharashtra and Assam. It also ruled that he cannot leave the country without the court’s permission.
The court expressed strong displeasure over his comments, questioning the boundaries of obscenity and vulgarity. “Just because somebody thinks he is popular, can he speak anything and take society for granted? There is something very dirty in his mind which has been vomited,” the bench remarked.
Allahbadia, who had approached the Supreme Court seeking consolidation of multiple FIRs against him, has been named in cases filed by the Maharashtra Cyber Department, Guwahati Police, and Jaipur Police. The Mumbai and Guwahati police had earlier stated that he was "continuously out of contact with the investigative agencies."
The Maharashtra Police’s cyber cell has summoned Allahbadia for questioning on February 24 as part of its probe into the controversial remarks.
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Deepfake video of Nirmala Sitharaman used to dupe Belagavi man in Rs 7.9 lakh scam
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): A 76-year-old man in Belagavi city was allegedly cheated of Rs 7.9 lakh in an online investment scam that used an AI-generated deepfake video misusing the name of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to lure investors, police said on Wednesday.
An online fraud case was registered at the cybercrime police station on May 1, they said.
According to Belagavi Police Commissioner Bhushan Gulabrao Borase, the victim, Prakash Gubbi, a senior citizen, stated in his complaint that in November last year, he came across a video on YouTube in which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman appeared to endorse an investment scheme.
The video also mentioned a link in its description for making investments.
The victim clicked on the link, entered his details, and was later contacted on social media by a person identifying himself as Adarsh Anand, who persuaded him to invest, the officer told reporters.
Citing the complaint, the officer said the victim initially invested a small amount, after which the application began showing profits of USD 65,000.
When he attempted to withdraw the amount, the accused demanded a “customs duty” payment of Rs 4.2 lakh, claiming it was required to process the withdrawal.
The victim paid the amount, after which he was asked to pay an additional Rs 2 lakh. It was at this stage that he realised he had been cheated. In total, he lost around Rs 7.9 lakh in the fraud, the officer added.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, and police are investigating the matter, police said.
The commissioner cautioned the public not to trust such videos, stating that the finance minister does not endorse any such schemes.
He warned that such content is created using artificial intelligence and deepfake technology.
He further advised the public to remain vigilant, avoid offers that appear too good to be true on the internet, and invest only through legitimate, registered agencies or trusted channels.
Deepfake technology enables the creation of realistic videos, audio recordings, and images that can mislead viewers by superimposing one person’s likeness onto another, altering their words and actions. This can present a false narrative or spread misinformation.
