Haryana: A 19-year-old died by suicide on October 25, after he was threatened with AI-generated images and videos of his sisters, which were reportedly obscene in Haryana’s Faridabad. 

A second-year student at DAV College, Rahul Bharti, had been mentally disturbed over the past two weeks. Rahul’s father, Manoj Bharti, stated that Rahul has been withdrawn, eating poorly, and often silent in his room since someone hacked his phone and AI was used to generate and share non-consensual nude images and videos of him and his three sisters.

During the investigation, police discovered a chat between Rahul and a man named Sahil, who had sent outrageous images, additionally demanding Rs 20,000. 

The WhatsApp chat screenshots showed multiple audio and video calls between the two, with Sahil even sending him a location along with the message, “Aja mere paas” (Come to me).

Sahil ended the conversation by threatening to leak all the photos and videos on social media if Rahul didn’t pay. He also reportedly incited Rahul to die by suicide, going so far as to suggest methods for him to end his life.

Distraught, he consumed some tablets around 7 pm on Saturday. His family immediately took him to the hospital when they noticed his worsening condition. However, he passed away while undergoing treatment.

“Someone had sent obscene videos and photos of my daughters to Rahul’s phone and was threatening to make them viral. This distressed Rahul. Due to the mental torture, he consumed poison. He was being harassed,” the victim’s father was quoted by NDTV.

His family alleges the involvement of another man, Neeraj Bharti, with Rahul’s mother claiming her estranged brother-in-law may have been involved in the case as she had fought with him six months ago.

Police registered a case against two people following the family’s complaint.

Investigating officer Sunil Kumar confirmed the case is still under investigation, stating that the mobile phone is currently being examined. He added that appropriate legal action will be taken based on the investigation’s findings.