A 19-year-old college student in India died by suicide after being blackmailed with AI-generated obscene images of his three sisters, raising growing concerns over the misuse of artificial intelligence for cyber extortion.
The victim, Rahul Bharti, was a second-year student at DAV College in Faridabad, Haryana. According to his father, Manoj Bharti, Rahul had been visibly disturbed for two weeks before his death. He reportedly stopped eating and spent most of his time alone.
Police said that a man identified as “Sahil” contacted Rahul through WhatsApp, sending him explicit visuals created using artificial intelligence and demanding a payment of Rs 20,000 (approximately 325 CAD). Screenshots of their chats revealed multiple audio and video calls. In one message, Sahil allegedly threatened to leak the AI-generated videos online if Rahul refused to pay.
In a chilling twist, Sahil also reportedly encouraged Rahul to take his own life, even describing substances that could cause death. On Saturday evening, Rahul consumed poisonous tablets and was rushed to a local hospital, where he died during treatment.
“Someone had sent obscene videos and photos of my daughters to Rahul’s phone and threatened to make them viral. He was mentally tortured and took poison because of this harassment,” said his father.
The family suspects another man, Neeraj Bharti, may have been involved. Rahul’s mother, Meena Devi, accused her brother-in-law of conspiring with a woman to torment her son following a family dispute.
Police have registered a case based on the family’s complaint and are investigating both suspects. “Rahul had consumed poison and died during treatment. His phone is being examined, and appropriate legal action will follow,” said investigating officer Sunil Kumar.
Old Faridabad police station in-charge Vishnu Kumar described the case as “a serious example of cybercrime and the misuse of AI technology,” urging stricter monitoring of online abuse involving artificial intelligence in India.
