Kozhikode (Keralam), Sep 5 (PTI) Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday said the state police were planning a special drive against cybercrimes amid a series of cases involving college students allegedly creating obscene images and videos of classmates through digital manipulation.
The police are currently conducting an anti-narcotics drive, Operation Toofan, which has led to the arrest of more than 10,000 people in two months.
Speaking to reporters about the increasing number of such cases in the state, Chennithala said major crimes were increasingly being committed through social media and cyberspace.
“We are preparing a new programme for this by October-November. It is a major issue. The project is under preparation, and we will reveal the details later,” he said.
Chennithala said incidents involving morphed images were not confined to any particular college or region.
“There is no region, college or politics behind it. It is a crisis of significant proportion. We are coming out with a project to curtail it,” he said.
Kochi City Police Commissioner S Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar told reporters that a second-year B Tech student of Bharata Mata School of Engineering, Thrikkakara, who was arrested for allegedly creating obscene images and videos of his classmates and teachers, had also allegedly morphed photographs of his relatives.
“The photos of the relatives were morphed and posted in closed social media groups. As part of the investigation, we are looking into who else is a member of that group and whether any other persons are involved. As of now, there is no evidence of any financial gain,” he said.
The commissioner said several social media and chat-app-based groups centred around the college were being used by students to communicate and exchange photographs.
“From there, an exclusive smaller group of about four to five members was formed, and it is through this group that they mostly circulated these materials,” he said.
At present, only one person is in custody, Kumar said, adding that further evidence would be examined to determine whether others were involved.
He said police could not confirm whether similar groups were operating on other college campuses based on the information available so far.
One positive aspect, he said, was that alert students at the college had noticed the photographs in their groups and brought the matter to the police’s attention.
“If such activities exist elsewhere, we will intervene strictly,” he said.
Kumar said the increasing accessibility of AI had made editing and morphing photographs easier and cheaper.
He said the accused student had been involved in publishing the college magazine and therefore had experience in photo editing, which he allegedly exploited for the illegal activity.
The commissioner said the accused had been using a recent-model iPhone.
Asked whether Telegram was the primary application used, Kumar said the chat application identified so far was Telegram.
The smaller closed group was on Telegram as well, he said, adding that police would examine the platform to identify its other members.
Regarding the use of AI or deepfake technology, Kumar said police could confirm the application used only after examining the statements and other evidence.
“The photos were found on their mobile phones. Identifying the exact app used is part of the ongoing investigation, and we will present it once evidence is established,” he said.
Asked about the other members of the closed group, Kumar said police would first identify them and establish their exact roles before deciding on further action. PTI TBA SSK
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