Faridabad Man Blackmailed With AI-Generated Pics Of 3 Sisters. He Dies By Suicide

A 19-year-old man died by suicide after he was allegedly blackmailed with his three sisters' (Artificial Intelligence) AI-generated obscene pictures and videos, demanding lakhs of rupees, in Haryana's Faridabad.

Rahul Bharti, a second-year DAV College student, had been distressed over the past two weeks since someone hacked into his phone and used artificial intelligence to create nude photos and videos of Rahul and his sisters, his father, Manoj Bharti, said. He had not been eating well, and often stayed silent in his room, he added,

Investigation revealed a chat between Rahul and a man named 'Sahil' who had sent the obscene visuals and demanded Rs 20,000. Screenshots of the WhatsApp conversation showed many audio and video calls between the two, with 'Sahil' sending him a location saying 'aja mere paas' (come to me).

In the final conversation, 'Sahil' reportedly threatened to make all the photos and videos viral on social media if he did not pay the money. He also reportedly incited Rahul to die by suicide and even described certain substances that could lead to his death.

Distressed, Rahul consumed some tablets around 7 pm on Saturday. When his condition worsened, his family rushed him to the hospital, where he died during treatment.

"Someone had sent obscene videos and photos of my daughters to Rahul's phone and was threatening to make them viral. This distressed Rahul. Due to the mental torture, he consumed poison. He was being harassed," the victim's father said.

According to Rahul's family, another man, identified as Neeraj Bharti, may be involved in the case - who had spoken to the victim hours before he died by suicide. His mother, Meena Devi, accused her brother-in-law of being involved in the incident - with whom she had fought about six months ago. He, along with a girl, hatched the plan, she claimed.

Based on the family's complaint, the police filed a case against two people.

"Rahul had consumed poison and was admitted to a private hospital for treatment, where he died during treatment. The case is currently being investigated based on a complaint from his father. The mobile phone is being examined. Appropriate legal action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation," Investigating officer Sunil Kumar said.

Old Police Station in-charge, Vishnu Kumar, said that the case is a "serious example of cybercrime and the misuse of AI technology".

(With inputs from Jitender Beniwal)