Rajasthan Youth Seeks Madras High Court Bail Over Chief Minister Joseph Vijay Deepfake Scam

A 28-year-old youth from Rajasthan has approached the Madras High Court seeking bail after being arrested for allegedly using deepfake videos of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to collect money.

Bail Plea and Court Details

Justice N. Ramesh will hear the bail petition on Friday. The petitioner is J. Shyabu Khan from Boontoli village in Alwar district. The Cyber Crime Cell of the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department booked him in the case.

The Charges and Arrest

Police arrested the accused on September 12, 2026, and brought him to Tamil Nadu on a transit warrant before lodging him in a local prison. Authorities state that he created Facebook accounts named 'All India help Vijay Thalapati' and 'All India help'. These accounts featured artificial intelligence-generated deepfake videos of the Chief Minister offering help to needy people in exchange for a registration fee sent to a specific UPI number.

Investigation and Defense

Cyber police tracked the IP addresses to Boontoli during regular patrolling and caught the suspect with the help of Rajasthan police. The Principal Sessions Court previously denied him bail on October 14, 2026, because the investigation remained incomplete. The petitioner claims his friend Sakrulla created the fake videos and used his Facebook ID, phone number, and bank account for the crime. He maintains his innocence and states that his family suffered due to his forty days in prison.

Context

Cybercrime involving artificial intelligence deepfakes has grown rapidly, making digital impersonation a major challenge for law enforcement agencies worldwide. Investigators often track these digital scams across state lines by tracing IP addresses and UPI transaction details.