India
Fake Vijay Videos, Welfare Scam: Madras High Court Grants Bail To Rajasthan Man
By: News18 India
Published: 24 October 2026
Photo / Illustration: Haldwani Times News Desk
<p>The Madras High Court has granted conditional bail to a Rajasthan resident accused of using artificial intelligence-generated deepfake videos to impersonate high-profile political leaders and scam members of the public. The single bench of Justice N Ramesh ordered the release of the petitioner, Shyabu Khan, noting that he had remained in judicial custody for over 45 days and that police investigators had completed the core probe.</p>
<p>The case highlights growing judicial and law enforcement scrutiny surrounding synthetic media, social media fraud, and the malicious deployment of deepfake technology in public affairs.</p>
<p>According to the prosecution, the accused operated a digital scam using fake Facebook profiles titled “All India Help Vijay Thalapathy" and “All India Help". The pages allegedly circulated digitally manipulated AI videos designed to induce unsuspecting citizens into believing they were interacting with official state welfare channels.</p>
<p>State prosecutors argued that the accused collected funds under the guise of mandatory registration fees for public assistance, extracting money from victims before the fraudulent operation was flagged. Law enforcement subsequently tracked the digital footprint to Rajasthan, arresting the petitioner and remanding him to custody in September.</p>
<p>In his bail plea, the petitioner maintained total innocence, contending that he was falsely implicated in the cybercrime network. His defence submission claimed that an acquaintance had illicitly accessed his mobile number, Facebook credentials, and linked bank accounts to generate and distribute the deceptive AI media without his knowledge or authorisation.</p>
<p>The Madras High Court granted conditional bail to Rajasthan resident Shyabu Khan after 45 days in judicial custody.</p>
<p>The accused allegedly operated fake Facebook profiles using AI-generated deepfake videos to impersonate political leaders and scam the public.</p>
<p>Prosecutors stated that the scam collected funds from victims under the guise of mandatory registration fees for public assistance.</p>
<p>The petitioner claimed in his defense that an acquaintance illicitly accessed his mobile number and credentials without his authorization.</p>
<p>While state counsel strongly opposed the release citing the gravity of AI-driven financial fraud, the bench observed that continued pre-trial detention was no longer necessary given the progress of the investigation, ordering the petitioner to report regularly to the jurisdictional police station as part of his bail terms.</p>
<p>The ruling comes amid heightened national vigilance regarding deepfake technology and online impersonation schemes. Courts across the country are increasingly grappling with modern cyber fraud where generative tools are weaponised to exploit public trust, forge authority, and bypass traditional verification mechanisms.</p>
<p>Legal experts point out that while bail remains the rule during prolonged detention, trial courts face complex evidentiary hurdles in tracing actual perpetrators behind automated digital trails, compromised credentials, and synthetic media pipelines.</p>
<p>Justice N Ramesh granted conditional bail to Shyabu Khan because he had spent over 45 days in judicial custody and police investigators had already finished the core probe of the AI deepfake scam case.</p>
<p>The accused allegedly operated Facebook pages titled 'All India Help Vijay Thalapathy' and 'All India Help' that circulated manipulated AI videos, tricking citizens into believing they were official welfare channels and collecting fraudulent registration fees.</p>
<p>The petitioner maintained his innocence, claiming he was falsely implicated after an acquaintance illicitly accessed his mobile number, Facebook credentials, and linked bank accounts to generate and distribute the deceptive media without his knowledge.</p>
