Cyber Cell busts AI-driven deepfake loan fraud racket, three more masterminds arrested

The Cyber Crime Branch of Ahmedabad City Police has arrested three more alleged masterminds involved in a sophisticated cyber fraud racket that used artificial intelligence-generated deepfake videos to manipulate Aadhaar authentication systems, illegally change registered mobile numbers and obtain loans from multiple banks.

According to officials, the accused allegedly exploited AI platforms, including Google Gemini and Meta AI, to create “eye-blinking” deepfake videos using photographs of unsuspecting victims. These videos were then allegedly used to bypass Aadhaar biometric verification systems and gain unauthorised access to financial services.

The arrests were made as part of an ongoing investigation into a cyber fraud case registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ahmedabad City, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.

Police identified the arrested accused as Krishna Rampratap Motilal Prajapati, a resident of Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh; Kazimuddin Siraj Ali, a resident of Morigaon in Assam; and Rabbul Hussain, also from Morigaon district.

Officials said four accused had already been arrested earlier in the case. The latest arrests were carried out by teams using technical surveillance and human intelligence inputs.

According to investigators, the gang allegedly procured personal data of victims from various online sources. The accused reportedly used GST-related platforms such as MastersIndia and Peridot to obtain GST numbers and PAN card details of targeted individuals. Using those details, they allegedly accessed CIBIL reports through CRIF High Mark to retrieve linked mobile numbers.

Police said the accused then used Telegram bots to identify Aadhaar-linked mobile numbers and collected photographs of victims from digital payment platforms and social media sites, including PhonePe, Google Pay, WhatsApp, Truecaller, Facebook and Instagram.