Indore couple loses ₹1.02 lakh in deepfake ransom call
An Indore couple lost ₹1.02 lakh after scammers are suspected to have used AI to create a fake video showing their son being kidnapped and demanded ransom via QR code.
The parents panicked and filed a missing person report, but later discovered their son was actually safe—he had gone to a temple in Rajasthan without telling anyone and the family had posted his photograph on social media, revealing the scam.
Police investigating the case
Indore police are investigating what they believe may be the city's first reported case of a ransom scam involving suspected deepfake technology.
The fraudsters used a spoofed UK number routed through VPNs, with money moving across multiple states before being withdrawn in Bihar.
No arrests yet, but experts are helping police analyze how the convincing fake video was made—a reminder to stay alert as tech-driven scams get more sophisticated.