B-Pharma graduate held for AI-generated fake video of bomb blast at UP’s SSB camp: Police

A 22-year-old B-Pharma graduate was arrested for allegedly creating and uploading an AI-generated fake video showing a bomb blast at a Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) camp on the India-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj district to gain views and followers on social media, police said on Thursday.

“The suspect was taken into preventive custody before being produced before the magistrate on Thursday,” Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Siddharth said.

The suspect, Faiyaz Ahmad, a resident of Sevantari village in Maharajganj, allegedly created a nine-second video depicting the 22nd battalion SSB camp at Sevantari being blown up and uploaded it on Instagram. The post carried a provocative caption too.

“The police immediately traced the social-media account, which was found to be operated in the name of Faiyaz Ahmad, son of Abdul Kalam, a resident of Sevantari,” Maharajganj Additional SP Siddharth said in a statement issued on Wednesday night.

“The police subsequently got the objectionable post deleted through the person operating the account and took Faiyaz into custody. He was produced before a magistrate and sent to judicial custody,” the ASP added.

Police said that during questioning, Faiyaz admitted to creating and uploading the AI-generated video to make his social-media account go viral and increase his likes, views and followers.

Faiyaz’s Instagram account, a_faiyaz_001x, has around 11,600 followers and 327 posts, according to the police. His profile describes him as a chemist and pharmacy professional and contains several AI-generated videos, including clips depicting him driving luxury cars and visiting high-end destinations. His Facebook account has around 1,600 followers.

According to police, Faiyaz had completed his B-Pharma course but was unemployed and looking for work. He allegedly regularly created and uploaded reels and other videos for social media.

The incident has prompted police to intensify monitoring of social-media activity in the border district, particularly posts involving security forces, border installations and other sensitive locations.

Police have warned social-media users against creating or circulating provocative or misleading content involving security establishments merely to generate views, likes or followers, saying such activity can invite legal action.