Jajpur: Police in Odisha’s Jajpur district Saturday detained a youth for allegedly circulating an AI-generated video claiming that a Royal Bengal Tiger was roaming near sugarcane fields in Baniari-Saudia areas, triggering panic among locals, officials said.
The video was widely circulated on social media platforms, prompting forest officials and police to launch a search for the alleged tiger, they said.
According to police, Srikant Kumar Dhinda (28), a resident of Baniari who works outside the state, had returned to his native village a few days ago.
He allegedly circulated the AI-generated video from his social media account, claiming that a tiger was moving near a sugarcane field in the village, police said.
After the video went viral, locals alerted forest officials, who launched an investigation.
Police were also informed and joined the forest department in searching the area for the animal.
However, a joint verification by police and forest officials found that the video was fake and fabricated, officials said.
Balichandrapur police station registered a case and detained Dhinda for allegedly spreading false information.
“After the fake video went viral on social media platforms from Dhinda’s account, we brought him to the police station and detained him. He has admitted to making and circulating the AI-generated video on social media platforms,” Balichandrapur police station IIC Dillip Kumar Mohanty said.
Jajpur SP Yash Pratap Shrimal cautioned youths against creating or circulating such content and said those found indulging in such activities would face strict action.
PTI