New Delhi, Sep 10: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday urged people to stay cautious of misleading and fabricated videos allegedly featuring her and asked them not to fall prey to fraudulent and deceitful calls for investment in real estate projects or any other futuristic ventures.

Priyanka Gandhi’s office flagged the issue after her deepfake videos surfaced and were seen in circulation on multiple social media platforms.

It has urged the Congress leader’s followers and others to neither click on those posts nor give consent to any requests made in the AI-generated video.

Issuing a formal scam alert on Instagram, Priyanka Gandhi’s office warned the public against fake, AI-generated videos that have apparently used her face and voice to cheat the people and hoodwink them into fraudulent investments.

“Fake videos using AI-generated images and voice of Smt Priyanka Gandhi Vadra ji is circulating on WhatsApp, Instagram and other social media platforms asking people to invest money,” Cong MP’s office informed on its Insta handle.

“These are scams. Please do not click or invest,” it further said.

The Congress MP also asked the people to block such posts at the first instance and also report them to the relevant authorities for suitable action.

Such scams using deepfake and AI-generated videos of famous personalities have mushroomed in the past few years, making many gullible investors prone to huge financial losses.

A deepfake video is made by using AI to simulate a person’s face and voice, making it a facsimile copy of the target.

The scammers distort and misuse the cutting-edge technology to generate misleading videos, featuring unauthorised images of prominent figures and then try to rob people of their money.

In the recent past, deepfake videos of industrialists like Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani also surfaced, where the online scammers and fraudsters used AI-doctored videos to lure citizens into fraudulent investment traps, leading to huge losses to investors.

Gandhinagar, Sep 10: Gujarat courts have delivered 1,785 verdicts in cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act between 2022 and August 2026, with 908 accused sentenced to life imprisonment and 16 handed death sentences, according to figures released by the state government.

The pace of proceedings has also strengthened, with police filing chargesheets in most POCSO cases within 45 days and fast-track courts taking up cases for early trial.

In one recent case in Kalol, a Special POCSO Court sentenced a 42-year-old man to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life within 72 hours of the police filing the chargesheet in connection with the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl.

The number of judgments rose from 194 in 2022 to 499 in 2025. In the first eight months of 2026, courts have already delivered 346 judgments, including 241 life sentences and two death sentences.

Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said the state had adopted a “zero-tolerance” approach towards sexual offences against children and is working to ensure that victims and their families did not have to wait for years for justice.

“There can be no mercy or leniency for anyone who casts an evil eye on girls in Gujarat. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the state government has established fast-track courts and a robust legal framework for POCSO cases. As a result, victims and their families are now receiving speedy justice—not in months or years, but within a matter of days,” Sanghavi said.

Referring to the Kalol case, he said the verdict within 72 hours of the filing of the chargesheet reflected the quality of investigation by the Gujarat Police and the approach of the judiciary.

“Reaching a verdict within just 72 hours of the filing of a chargesheet is the result of the excellent and scientific investigation carried out by the Gujarat Police and the strict and commendable approach of the judiciary. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Gujarat Police and the judiciary. Our clear resolve is to ensure that such offenders receive the strictest possible punishment, setting a strong example for society,” he said.

Director General of Police (DGP), G.S. Malik, said investigations into POCSO cases are being conducted with sensitivity while maintaining speed and strictness.

“To ensure speedy justice for victims and their families, the police are particularly focussing on a three-pronged approach of ‘thorough investigation, strict action and speedy justice’ during the investigation process,” Malik said.

According to the police, each POCSO case is being monitored to ensure that chargesheets are filed promptly and cases are transferred to fast-track courts without unnecessary delay.

Over the past five years, chargesheets were filed within one to 15 days in 140 POCSO cases, while investigations were completed within 16 to 30 days in 1,339 cases.

Another 5,463 cases saw chargesheets filed within 31 to 45 days.

The figures indicate that a large majority of POCSO investigations are being completed within the 45-day period, allowing trials to commence sooner and courts to decide cases at a faster pace.

Gandhinagar, Sep 10: The Gujarat government has completed DNA sample collection from relatives of 29 of the 30 people from the state, including Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRGs), who remain missing or uncontactable following the August 26 flash floods in Nepal, particularly along the Nepal-Tibet border and Bhote Koshi River corridor.

The samples are being processed for DNA profiling to help identify bodies and human remains recovered in the disaster. The process for the remaining missing person is also underway.

The Gujarat State Non-Resident Gujaratis’ Foundation (NRGF), under the NRI Division of the General Administration Department, has been coordinating with the families and authorities in India and abroad to facilitate the DNA collection and identification process.

The initiative is being carried out in accordance with guidelines issued by the Central government, under which designated forensic laboratories have been identified for DNA sample collection and profiling of first-degree relatives of missing persons.

DNA profiling at laboratories designated for the purpose is being undertaken free of cost, as directed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Six designated laboratories in Gujarat are facilitating the process, with DNA profiling being undertaken in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Junagadh and Rajkot.

The National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar, is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs on DNA profiling of samples collected in India and their linkage with the identification process in Nepal.

A 10-member NFSU forensic team has also been involved in the identification efforts in Nepal. Nepal Police has separately initiated DNA profiling of recovered bodies and human remains following the incident.

NRGF has been personally contacting relatives of each missing person and guiding them about the designated laboratories, available facilities and the procedure for DNA sample collection and profiling.

It has also been coordinating with NRGs and relatives living abroad to ascertain the action taken by local authorities in their respective countries.

In cases involving relatives in New Zealand, the United States, Canada and African countries, NRGF has obtained information about DNA samples collected by authorities in those countries and the status of the identification process.

In several cases, samples of relatives living abroad have already been collected through the respective local authorities.

The DNA profiling reports are being sent directly by the designated laboratories to Nepalese authorities through the official email addresses and contact numbers notified by the them for the identification exercise.

Nepal Police has also requested first-degree relatives of missing people living abroad to undergo DNA profiling at authorised forensic laboratories in their respective countries.

The Gujarat Government, through the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), district administrations and NRGF, has been coordinating efforts to trace people from the state and Gujaratis living abroad who were reported missing or remain uncontactable after the floods.

A consolidated list of missing and untraceable persons prepared by SEOC and NRGF has also been shared with the Nepal government. So far, 30 people, including NRGs, remain untraceable from the flood-affected areas.

Those reported missing or out of contact include people from Ahmedabad, Anand, Banaskantha, Kheda, Gandhinagar, Surat, Valsad, Rajkot and other parts of Gujarat. Several had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through different travel agencies and routes.

The scale of the disaster has made conventional identification difficult in cases where bodies or human remains have been severely damaged or recovered in parts.

Nepal has therefore begun a large-scale DNA identification exercise, with samples being collected from relatives and compared with DNA obtained from recovered remains.

The DNA-based process is expected to help establish the identities of victims from Gujarat and other parts of India, as well as foreign nationals, and provide families with confirmation about the fate of relatives who remain missing.