New Delhi, June 11: The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a fresh advisory warning about the growing misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by cybercriminals to create highly convincing deepfake videos and synthetic identities aimed at compromising financial and digital ecosystems.

According to the advisory issued by the National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU) under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Home Ministry, cyber fraudsters are increasingly leveraging advanced AI tools to generate realistic digital impersonations capable of deceiving authentication systems.

“These technologies may be exploited to bypass facial authentication, liveness verification, Video-KYC, account recovery, and unauthorised access to financial and digital services. Fraudsters may attempt to gain unauthorised access to accounts by using facial recordings obtained through deceptive video calls, fake online job interviews or social engineering tactics,” the advisory read.

Elaborating on the pattern observed in such cybercrimes, the NCTAU outlined a multi-stage modus operandi employed by fraudsters. The process often begins with an initial approach through social media networks, messaging platforms, job portals, dating applications, or direct phone calls.

Once communication is established, attackers move to the next phase by gathering facial data. The advisory noted that facial information may already be available through publicly accessible online content. In many cases, however, victims are persuaded to perform specific facial actions such as looking directly at a screen, turning their heads, blinking repeatedly, or speaking on camera.

The collected recordings are then processed using AI-powered deepfake technologies. Through these tools, cybercriminals can create highly realistic digital replicas that mimic a person’s facial expressions, eye movements, gestures, and even their voice.

The advisory warned that if systems lack adequate deepfake detection capabilities, these fabricated identities may be used to bypass facial authentication and liveness verification checks.

Authorities further cautioned that the misuse of such AI-generated content could facilitate fraudulent Know Your Customer (KYC) verification processes. By successfully defeating identity verification safeguards adopted by financial institutions, fraudsters may be able to create, activate or operate financial accounts for illegal purposes.

To counter these evolving threats, the NCTAU has recommended several security measures for institutions as well as individuals. The advisory stated that customer onboarding systems, including those operated by fintech firms, should incorporate robust mechanisms capable of detecting deepfakes and other forms of synthetically generated content.

“Locking your biometric profile is the strongest defence against this type of remote identity theft,” the advisory stated.

In addition, individuals have been advised to closely monitor email notifications and alerts for any unauthorised login attempts or suspicious authentication activities that may indicate an attempt to misuse their identity.

The advisory emphasised that any signs of financial fraud or identity theft should be reported immediately. Citizens have been encouraged to document incidents through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and provide relevant information, including the fraudster’s contact details and any video links involved in the scam.

The NCTAU also warned users to remain vigilant about sudden disruptions in mobile network services, noting that such incidents could indicate a fraudulent SIM swap attack.

Issuing a broader caution, the advisory clarified that it has been released to raise awareness about emerging AI-enabled identity fraud techniques. It added that references to identity verification systems and authentication processes are based on observed threat trends and “do not imply vulnerabilities or compromise of any specific organisation, platform, or service.”

New Delhi, June 11: The Cyber Police Station of South District, Delhi Police, has successfully busted an organised interstate cyber fraud syndicate involved in operating fake online helicopter booking websites and cheating unsuspecting travellers.

Three accused persons have been arrested in the case, and significant digital evidence, along with electronic devices, has been recovered.

A complaint was received from a victim who was cheated of Rs 20,328 on the pretext of booking travel services through fake websites, namely irctc-helicopter.com and irctc-heliyatra.com. These websites were designed to resemble genuine travel booking portals to deceive users.

Based on the complaint, FIR No. 30/2026 dated May 21, under Sections 318(4), 61(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), was registered at PS Cyber South District, and an investigation was initiated.

A dedicated team comprising SI Ashish, Head Constables Praveen, Vikas, and Vinod, Constables Praveen Joon and Sultan, conducted the investigation under the leadership of SHO/Cyber South, Inspector Hansraj Swami, and under the overall supervision of Additional DCP (Operations), South District, Arvind Kumar.

During the investigation, police carried out a detailed analysis of the money trail, bank account details, domain registration records, Gmail accounts, IP logs, and technical data obtained from service providers such as Hostinger and Google.

The analysis led to the identification of individuals operating the fake websites and associated digital advertisements. Based on technical surveillance and local intelligence inputs, accused Omprakash Kumar and Rohit Kumar were arrested from Bihar’s Nalanda.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed the involvement of co-accused Shreyansh Tiwari alias Shivam, who was identified as the developer and manager of the fake websites. He was subsequently arrested from Greater Noida.

Investigations revealed that the accused were running fake travel booking portals and promoting them through paid advertisements on Meta (Facebook), targeting individuals searching for travel-related services online. Their digital network has been linked to approximately 30 NCRP complaints registered across various states and Union Territories, involving a total cheating amount of nearly Rs 10 lakh. The involvement of another associate, Anurag, a resident of Nalanda, is also under verification.

The accused created fake travel booking websites that closely resembled legitimate platforms and promoted them through paid social media advertisements. Victims searching online for travel bookings were redirected to these fraudulent websites and were induced to make payments for bookings.

After the initial payment, victims were further pressured to make additional transfers on the pretext of processing refunds, confirming bookings, registration charges, or other fabricated reasons. The cheated funds were routed through mule bank accounts and various digital payment channels to conceal the money trail.

During the operation, police recovered several incriminating items from the possession of the accused, including eight mobile phones, two laptops, and a 10th-generation iPad. Officials also seized multiple ATM and debit cards allegedly used in the commission of cyber fraud. In addition, Rs 20,328 was marked as a lien in a bank account linked to the case. Investigators further recovered substantial digital evidence and electronic records connected to the fraudulent activities, which are being examined as part of the ongoing probe.

Of the arrested accused, Omprakash Kumar has a previous involvement in a criminal case, as per FIR No. 06/2022 registered under Sections 420/34 of the IPC at PS Cyber North-West Delhi. Rohit Kumar has no previous criminal involvement reported so far, nor does the third accused, Tiwari, a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur.

Further investigation is in progress to identify additional associates and dismantle the complete network behind the fraud.

New Delhi, June 11: Three Indian sailors, who were reportedly missing after the US forces attacked a vessel off the coast of Oman earlier this week, have been confirmed dead in the deadly attacks.

The killing of Indian seafarers was confirmed by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, who called it a “profound loss for India’s maritime community”.

The minister said that the bodies of all three missing sailors have been recovered. He also informed that steps are being taken to repatriate the bodies of fallen seafarers for their last rites.

“It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” Sonowal said in a post on X.

Preliminary inputs, after the attack on the oil vessel, said that 21 Indian sailors were rescued from the ship while three seafarers were reported missing.

The Union Minister described the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello as “deeply unfortunate” and said that the government was standing by the bereaved families in this difficult hour.

“Modi government stands firmly with the bereaved during this difficult hour and is fully committed to supporting the next of kin. I have directed officials to ensure immediate repatriation of the rescued crew members and swift return of the mortal remains of the deceased for their final rites,” he said in the post on X.

The oil tanker had a total crew of 28 members, including 24 Indian nationals and four foreign nationals– two Pakistanis, one Ukrainian, and one Russian– when it came under a US military attack in the Gulf of Oman. The US, justifying the attack, said that the vessel violated the prescribed instructions and hence came under its radar.