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Chandigarh: AI-morphed images of 9 girl students shared on private group, case filed
Police have filed a case against unidentified persons under Sections of the IT Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act following a complaint by parents of the affected girls.
In a shocking development, AI-morphed obscene images of nine girl students of a prominent city school were shared on a private group of a social media platform.
Police have filed a case against unidentified persons under Sections of the IT Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act following a complaint by parents of the affected girls.
As per the joint complaint submitted by the parents to the senior superintendent of police Kanwardeep Kaur on Wednesday, the culprits had created a fake Snapchat account of a Class-9 girl and used it to share morphed images of other girls.
As per the father of the said girl, he had found his daughter distressed and in tears when he had gone to pick her up after school on October 10. “She informed him that a group of senior students from the school had been downloading pictures of girl students from the student portal and using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to morph the images into objectionable content. They had even created a fake ID in his daughter’s name on Snapchat to circulate the images, with an intention to defame and harass her. The vice-principal was also informed that some senior boys have a premium subscription to an objectionable website,” the complaint read.
A senior investigator maintained that it has not been confirmed if the photos were downloaded from the school’s student portal. The official, however, added that the role of school insiders is being looked into.
Chandigarh Police are now set to seek Snapchat’s assistance in the case. “We are yet to identify the accused. To trace the accused and to know with whom these photos were shared, we will write to Snapchat for account details and the IP address,” a senior police officer said.
School didn’t act promptly, allege parents
The parents further claimed that the school was in the know of the developments on October 9 itself, however, they had not communicated the severity of situation to the parents. Instead, they had tried to brush the matter under carpet by counselling the students in the absence of legal guardians.
The father of the girl in whose name the ID was created said he was the one to inform the police after learning about the incident.
“When we met the school authorities on October 11, they told us that since the incident happened outside the school, the parents may proceed with the complaint at their own will,” the parents submitted.
The school’s chief administrative officer said, “The incident did not take place on school campus. No direct connection with the school was found. The aggrieved students have been provided all possible support and we are cooperating with the authorities. Moreover, jammers are installed in the school, not just for students but also for teachers, so there is no way the school’s internet was used for the purpose. The school held counselling sessions for the victims, and our principal also met the parents.”
Chandigarh Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR) chairperson Shipra Bansal has also sought a report from the school and the police regarding the incident, while UT director school education (DSE) Harsuhinderpal Singh Brar said he would look into the matter.
SSP Kaur said, “We have registered a case and started the probe. The culprits will be nabbed soon.”
