Man extorts from Jabalpur women with AI-generated obscene videos; SIT formed to nab him
Jabalpur (PTI): Police in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday formed a special investigation team to catch a conman who is extorting money from women collegians after threatening them with AI-generated objectionable clips, officials said.
The SIT was formed by Jabalpur Superintendent of Police Aditya Pratap Singh to speed up progress in the case, which came to light in the first week of September, and has seen teams visit several states, they added.
The SIT will be headed by City Superintendent of Police (Kotwali) RK Shiv and will have personnel from the crime branch, cyber cell and women police station, Madan Mahal police station in charge inspector Praveen Dhurve told PTI.
The accused calls up victims and identifies himself as "police officer Vikram Goswami", threatens them with action for sharing obscene videos on social media and then demands money, said police.
As per the police's probe so far, the accused is deploying Artificial Intelligence to create such obscene videos.
An official said two students have transferred Rs 2000-3000 to him, adding it was being investigated how he was managing to get numbers of the collegians he was targeting.
"He sends a link, which contain obscene clips, to the mobile numbers of students and then threatens them with police cases. He also says a police team will visit their parents to apprise them of the developments," the official said.
The case came to light after the management of Government Mankunwar Bai Women College alerted police, SP Singh said.
An FIR was then registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 318 (cheating) and Information Technology Act sections 66 (sending offensive messages through communication service, etc.) and 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form).
Close to 50 women may have been targeted by the accused though only three have come forward, as per police.
The issue has seen protests from both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in Jabalpur.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
