Kasaragod: Chittarikkal police in Kasaragod arrested three youths for creating nude photographs of more than 150 women from their own village using AI apps. They have been doing it for the past year-and-a-half. They uploaded the AI app-created photos to a private Instagram account which can be viewed only by members, said police.

Police identified the arrested persons as Sibin Lukose (21), Ebin Tom Joseph (18), and Justin Jacob (21). They were booked under Section 67 (a) of the IT Act for "transmitting material containing sexually explicit acts in electronic form", said the Station House Officer of Chittarikka. They have been let off on station bail.

If convicted, they may face a jail term of up to seven years in prison and a fine of Rs 10 lakh.
Ebin failed in Class 12 this year, and the other two, Sibin and Justin, clean private buses for a living, said their panchayat member, who filed the police complaint.

Their illegal activities came to light when Sibin went to his friend's house on June 11. The friend was casually going through Sibin's phone when he saw a nude photograph of his relative. Then he saw several nude photographs of women he knew on his phone. "The friend copied some photographs to his phone and approached his relatives and me," said the panchayat member and CPM leader.

He said Sibin and Ebin created the photographs and sent them to Justin. Before the police arrived, Sibin and Ebin deleted the photographs in their phone but Justin did not, he said.

He said the youths not only downloaded photographs from social media platforms but also clicked photographs using their digital camera. "We found photographs of around 40 of their schoolmates. They also clicked and used photographs of women when they came to church on Sundays, and when they climbed the hill here for the Way of the Cross procession on Good Friday," said the panchayat member.

Police said the young accused had been creating nude photographs of women in their village for the past year-and-a-half. The news has triggered anxiety in the small village, said the panchayat member. "On Sunday (June 16), we organised an awareness meeting to discuss the matter. At least 210 people attended the meeting," he said. DySP Sibi Thomas addressed their fears. "We will protect the complainant's privacy and investigate the matter," he said. Four people have come forward with their complaints and the police are expecting more to come forward. Police have sent the mobile phones of the three accused to the Cyber Police for a forensic examination.