Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi have launched a manhunt for a cyber cafe operator and his brother after they were accused of blackmailing a 25-year-old woman using AI-generated obscene images and threats to leak private chats online.

According to police officials, the accused — identified as Talib and his brother Rafiq from the Ghosiya area — allegedly used artificial intelligence tools to morph the woman’s publicly available Instagram photos into explicit images. They then threatened to circulate the pictures on social media unless she paid them money.

Investigators said Talib had initially connected with the woman through Instagram, where the two had exchanged messages. Over time, he allegedly downloaded several of her photographs from the platform and later used AI-based editing tools to create fake obscene visuals.

The woman reportedly received threatening messages claiming the images would be made viral online if she failed to pay Rs 50,000. Fearing reputational damage, she allegedly handed over the money in Gyanpur.

However, the alleged harassment did not stop there.

Police said that months later, the accused tracked down the woman’s in-laws’ address after her marriage and allegedly escalated the threats by sending explicit morphed photos to her husband’s mobile phone. The duo allegedly demanded more money while threatening to leak old chat records and upload the edited content publicly.

The victim had married in Varanasi on February 8, 2025, police said.

The case came to light after the woman’s father approached Superintendent of Police Abhinav Tyagi with a written complaint on May 13. Acting on the complaint, police conducted raids at the accused’s residence on Friday, though both suspects were found absconding.

Authorities have now registered a case under Section 308(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to extortion, along with provisions of the Information Technology Act.

Police officials believe the case could be larger than initially suspected. Preliminary investigations suggest the accused may have similarly targeted multiple women, allegedly extorting lakhs of rupees through AI-generated fake images, online intimidation and threats of social exposure.

The incident has once again raised serious concerns about the growing misuse of AI tools for cybercrime, especially cases involving deepfake-style image manipulation, online harassment and digital extortion targeting women through social media platforms.

With PTI inputs