Leh: Police on Thursday registered an FIR to trace and arrest those responsible for circulating a deepfake video falsely attributing remarks to Ladakh Director General of Police (DGP) S. D. Singh Jamwal.
According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the manipulated video shows Jamwal purportedly claiming that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested on the defence minister’s directions. The clip has been widely shared on social media.
“It has come to the notice of District Police Leh that a deepfake (digitally morphed) video is being circulated on platform X, attributing false statements to the DGP, UT Ladakh. The video, created with malicious intent, has the potential to disturb peace and harmony in the region,” the Cyber Unit of Leh Police said in a statement.
An FIR (No. 148) has been filed at Police Station Leh under sections 353(2), 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act, 2000. The case is under investigation.
The police appealed to the public to verify content before sharing it and report misleading posts or videos to the Cyber Cell. “Such misinformation will be dealt with strictly under the law,” the statement added.
Earlier, on September 30, the PIB Fact Check unit had flagged the digitally altered video, confirming it falsely depicted Jamwal making claims about Wangchuk’s arrest.
Wangchuk was arrested on September 26, following protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh, which left four people dead and 90 injured. His arrest was carried out by a police team led by DGP Jamwal.
