E-Paper
Minor boy booked for creating deepfake photo of female classmate in Jamshedpur
“An FIR has been registered against the accused minor boy under section 77 of the BNS and section 66(e), 67(b) of the IT Act-2000. Further investigation is ongoing by the circle inspector as required by the law. The boy has been served with a notice as per the Supreme Court (SC) order in Anwesh Kumar vs the State of Bihar in 2014, the accused can’t be sent to judicial custody without notice in cases registered under sections carrying punishment of seven years or less,” Mohammad Shariq Ali, Ulidih PS officer-in-charge (OC), told HT on Saturday.
The Ulidih police station in Jamshedpur has registered a case under several sections of the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) against a 13-year-old boy studying in Class 7 on charges of making a deepfake photo of his female classmate using AI and making it viral on social media, officials said on Saturday.
“An FIR has been registered against the accused minor boy under section 77 of the BNS and section 66(e), 67(b) of the IT Act-2000. Further investigation is ongoing by the circle inspector as required by the law. The boy has been served with a notice as per the Supreme Court (SC) order in Anwesh Kumar vs the State of Bihar in 2014, the accused can’t be sent to judicial custody without notice in cases registered under sections carrying punishment of seven years or less,” Mohammad Shariq Ali, Ulidih PS officer-in-charge (OC), told HT on Saturday.
Police said that reformative actions would be taken against the accused minor after investigation under the Juvenile Justice Act-2025 (JJ Act).
According to the police, the boy clicked photos of his classmate in the school under the Ulidih PS area on December 18 and converted it into an objectionable deepfake photo before making it viral on social media platforms.
“The family learned about the incident after the girl discovered her deepfake photo circulating on social media. They then approached Ulidih PS and lodged a written complaint through her mother. The investigation is probing whether the boy acted alone or if someone with more expertise in AI technology orchestrated the act. Authorities are also examining who may have influenced the accused to commit such a serious offence,” a police officer said.
“As per the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), every school must constitute a cyber club related to cyber crimes and digital security. The objective is to make students aware of using the Internet, social media platforms and modern technologies in a responsible and secure manner. Parents and teachers should also be specially trained and discuss these issues during parents-teacher meetings. Parents must keep an eye and discuss with their wards about cyber security, safety and crimes with an open mind, especially on the use of AI tools and applications,” Mukesh Choudhary, cyber expert, said.
