Rashmika Mandanna deepfake video case: Delhi Police arrests the accused

The deepfake video case of Rashmika Mandanna, which created much uproar on social media and prompted a major debate on the safety of celebs and digital influencers, has proceeded further with the accused being arrested. On Saturday, media reports claimed that the said arrest was made by the Delhi Police in Andhra Pradesh after a case was registered against him on multiple charges under sections 465, 469, 66C and E for forgery, identity theft, violation of privacy and harming one’s reputation.

The Delhi Police took immediate action and the case has been in investigation since then. For the unversed, in November 2023, a video featuring Rashmika Mandanna entering a lift was doing the rounds on social media wherein it was later revealed that the video belonged to an Indian-British influencer Zara Patel. After it was called out to be a deepfake, many celebrities came in support of the actress, further prompting the government to impose stringent legal policies against such deepfakes on social media as well as take strict action against the perpetuators.

Rashmika Mandanna, who too came across the video, also expressed her disappointment and anger over such heinous acts that harms a woman’s reputation by penning a heartfelt note on social media wherein she said, “I feel really hurt to share this and have to talk about the deepfake video of me being spread online. Something like this is honestly, extremely scary not only for me, but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused.” She added, “Today, as a woman and as an actor, I am thankful for my family, friends and well-wishers who are my protection and support system. But if this happened to me when I was in school or college, I genuinely can’t imagine how could I ever tackle this. We need to address this as a community and with urgency before more of us are affected by such identity theft.”

Apart from the South actress, many others like Katrina Kaif, Amitabh Bachchan, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, among others have fallen prey to deepfakes.

Also Read: Rashmika Mandanna Deepfake case: Delhi Police tracks down four suspects: Reports