Maharashtra Cyber identifies social media profiles involved in cross-border disinformation campaign during CJP protest

Maharashtra Cyber has identified and flagged 429 social media handles and posts across four major platforms as part of a largescale operation against online misinformation fake news and AIgenerated propagandaAccording to official figures most of the flagged content originated from within India while almost onequarter came from accounts based overseas Officials said many of these accounts used artificial intelligence AI tools to create or manipulate content designed to mislead the publicThe data shows that 329 of the 429 flagged handles and posts 767 per cent were traced to India while the remaining 100 233 per cent were linked to foreign locationsInvestigators also found that 140 posts and accounts representing 326 per cent of the total contained AIgenerated or AIassisted contentOfficials said that this reflects the increasing use of synthetic media to spread false information onlineInstagram accounted for more than 70 per cent of the flagged content making it the platform with the highest number of identified cases the data showedFalse claims linked to foreignbased accountsThe investigation uncovered several examples of foreignbased accounts allegedly spreading false information to create public unrestIn one case an X account created in April 2026 and linked to a Pakistanbased Android application claimed on 23 July 2026 that a student had died during a protest at Jantar Mantar after police action The post also alleged that police refused to register a First Information Report FIR filed by the students motherAuthorities later confirmed that these claims were false Officials from RML Hospital the Press Information Bureau PIB and Delhi Police verified that no protestrelated death had occurred The student was successfully revived through CPR while the video featuring the alleged mother was found to have been manipulated using AI technologyInstagram account changed identity to avoid detectionInvestigators also identified an Instagram profile mrkokkachii which was reportedly registered in Malaysia in September 2025According to the investigation the account changed its username four times in an apparent attempt to avoid detection while posting propaganda content featuring cockroachthemed imageryDeepfake technology used to manipulate videosMaharashtra Cyber said it used advanced forensic technology to examine suspected deepfake contentOne investigation focused on video reels claiming to show large protests at Jantar Mantar Analysis carried out using the Authentify PiLabs deepfake detection system found evidence of manipulation in all 16 analysed video segments with a reported confidence level of 100 per centInvestigators said the videos contained digitally enlarged crowds cloned faces and indicated a 100 per cent confidence level that the speech had been generated or cloned using AI while video analysis showed an 82 per cent confidence level for flagged accounts and posts Officials said the aim is to limit the spread of AIgenerated misinformation deepfakes and foreign propaganda that could influence public opinion or altered background structures designed to make the demonstrations appear much larger than they wereAnother investigation examined a video falsely attributed to an Indian Union MinisterAudio analysis indicated a 100 per cent confidence level that the speech had been generated or cloned using AI while video analysis showed an 82 per cent confidence level for AIbased facial reenactmentOfficials said the video was intended to falsely attribute fabricated remarks to the ministerCyber officials continue takedown effortsMaharashtra Cyber said it is continuing to work closely with social media platforms to remove the flagged accounts and posts Officials said the aim is to limit the spread of AIgenerated misinformation deepfakes and foreign propaganda that could influence public opinion or create unnecessary panic