Indian man stages own kidnapping using AI to get money from family

A 22-year-old engineer from Jaipur tried to deceive his family to repay debts he had borrowed from friends. Using artificial intelligence, he created fake images and videos showing himself being held hostage and lying in a hospital, before demanding ransom money from his relatives.

Deepak Mali, a 22-year-old engineer from Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, spread false information about his own kidnapping in an attempt to obtain money from his family. To make the story convincing, he used artificial intelligence (AI) to create fake photographs and videos.

According to The Times of India, citing police information, the images he sent to his relatives showed him being held hostage, tortured and admitted to a hospital. He also claimed that his alleged kidnappers would not release him until a ransom was paid.

Search Conducted Across Eight Cities

The man's relatives contacted the police and reported his alleged kidnapping. Following the complaint, officers from the Bhankrota police station in Jaipur launched an investigation.

According to police, investigators examined CCTV footage from eight cities to trace his movements. They reviewed recordings from nearly 200 surveillance cameras across Jaipur, Mathura, Ujjain, Delhi, Haldwani, Nainital, Haridwar and Rishikesh.

Following the search, Deepak was found near the Lakshman Jhula bridge in Rishikesh. After examining his phone and WhatsApp conversations, police established that the kidnapping story had been completely fabricated.

He Staged the Kidnapping to Repay His Debts

The investigation also revealed the financial motive behind his actions. According to police, Deepak had borrowed money from friends for personal expenses and entertainment but was unable to repay it.

He then came up with a plan to obtain money from his family to settle his debts. Using AI-generated photographs and videos, he attempted to convince his relatives that he had genuinely been kidnapped.

Speaking to The Times of India, Deepak Tyagi, the officer in charge of the Bhankrota police station, said that the young man had initially created a fake video showing what appeared to be a syringe being injected into his body while he was experiencing pain. He later produced similar images and videos and sent them to his relatives.

Police investigations ultimately established that the report of his kidnapping was false.