Six arrested for threatening Telangana MLC with deepfake videos, demanding ₹5 crore

Six persons were arrested by Narsingi police for allegedly attempting to extort money from Telangana Legislative Council member Mirza Rahmath Baig by threatening to circulate his morphed photographs and deepfake videos on social media. The accused initially demanded ₹5 crore and subsequently collected ₹4.7 lakh, police said.

The arrested persons were identified as Mohd Mohsin Khan, 35, Fathima Begum alias Reema, 29, Mohd Sameer, 20, Mohd Zameer, 20, Mohd Imran, 18, and Syed Rehan, 20. They are residents of Bandlaguda, Chandrayangutta and Barkas in Hyderabad.

According to police, the accused, along with others who are absconding, conspired to extort money from Baig due to financial difficulties and with the intention of making quick money. They threatened to circulate morphed photographs and deepfake videos depicting him in an objectionable manner, warning that failure to pay would damage his political and social reputation and put his life at risk.

On November 5, Fathima Begum, along with Sameer, Zameer, Imran and Rehan, went to the MLC’s office at Ibrahim Bagh, where she collected ₹4 lakh in cash from him in a cotton box. Police, acting on credible information, intercepted the group while they were leaving the spot and apprehended the five. Mohsin Khan was subsequently arrested during the operation.

Police seized ₹4.7 lakh in cash, two autorickshaws, six mobile phones and a laptop. The cash was allegedly collected as part of the extortion attempt.

Investigators said other members of the group were involved in procuring and using the morphed photographs and deepfake videos to threaten the MLC, while some were involved in circulating the material through various social media accounts.

Police are making efforts to arrest the remaining accused and identify others involved in the conspiracy and circulation of the manipulated content. The investigation is continuing.