Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sept 11: A 57-year-old retired woman from Bengaluru has reportedly lost Rs 3.75 crore after falling victim to a deepfake scam involving an AI-generated video of spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.
According to the complaint filed with police, the victim, a resident of C V Raman Nagar, was scrolling through YouTube on February 25when she came across a convincing video allegedly featuring Sadhguru, encouraging viewers to invest in a trading platform for guaranteed financial growth.
Unaware of the existence or dangers of deepfake technology, the woman believed the video to be genuine. The description of the video contained a link urging viewers to click and provide their name, email, and phone number, and to invest US $250, promising significant financial returns.
Trusting the content, she clicked the link and was soon contacted by a person named Waleed B, according to the First Information Report (FIR). Waleed, reportedly using multiple UK-based mobile numbers, guided her to download a mobile application named "Mirax", and later conducted investment training sessions with her via Zoom.
When Waleed was unavailable, another individual named Michael C allegedly stepped in to conduct the sessions.
Rs 3.75 crore transferred over two months
As per the FIR, between February 25 and April 23, the woman transferred a total of Rs 3,75,72,121 from her personal bank accounts to various accounts linked with the suspected fraudulent trading app.
The fraud came to light only when the woman attempted to withdraw her alleged profits and realised that she had been scammed. Nearly five months later, she approached the police with a formal complaint.
Case registered under IT Act and IPC
A senior police official confirmed that a case was registered on September 9 under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and Section 318(4) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) related to cheating. "We are investigating the matter based on the complaint. The accused created a highly convincing AI-generated deepfake video impersonating Sadhguru to gain the victim's trust," the official said.
Recovery of funds unlikely, say police
Authorities have expressed concerns that recovering the lost amount could prove difficult, given that the victim voluntarily transferred funds based on instructions from the alleged fraudsters.
However, efforts are underway to coordinate with banks to freeze and track the accounts used by the accused.