HT Digital,
New Delhi, Jan 20: Delhi Police apprehended the key suspect, Eemani Naveen, involved in the creation of a deepfake video of Bollywood actor Rashmika Mandanna that circulated widely on social media last year. Naveen, an engineer, reportedly crafted the video to increase followers on his Instagram account.
In the video, Mandanna’s face was swapped with that of British-Indian influencer Zara Patel, causing a stir about the misuse of technology and leading prominent celebrities to express their concerns.
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During the investigation, Naveen provided insights into his methods of cybercrime. Police sources revealed that Naveen, from Pedanandipadu village in Guntur, made the video to boost followers of a fan page he managed for Mandanna.
He admitted to running fan pages for three celebrities and disclosed that he had posted the deepfake video on October 13, 2023, to enhance Mandanna’s fan page followers. His strategy resulted in a growth from 90,000 to 1,08,000 followers within a fortnight.
However, as the video drew national attention and criticism, Naveen removed the posts, changed the channel’s name, and deleted related digital data from his devices.
