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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Irreparable loss for all of us, EY says on death of 26-year old CA due to workload
New Delhi, Sep 18: Ernst & Young on Wednesday issued a statement after the death of a 26-year-old Chartered Accountant allegedly due to extreme work pressure at the firm, went viral on social media and turned the spotlight on work-related stress.
"We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely passing in July 2024," EY said.
Since the death, EY has been in touch with the family, helping them but it is only now that her family has chosen to write to the company, complaining about the "excessive workload".
EY said it would continue to improve and provide a healthy workplace in its offices throughout the country.
Anna Sebastian Perayil, who passed her CA exams in 2023, worked at EY Pune office for four months before she succumbed. Her mother this month wrote to EY India chairman Rajiv Memani flagging the 'glorification' of overwork at the multinational consulting firm.
"Anna was a part of the Audit team at S R Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us," the EY said in the statement.
It went on to state that while no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, the firm has provided all the assistance and will continue to do so.
"We are taking the family's correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace for our 100,000 people across EY member firms in India," it added.
