Gandhinagar: The Gujarat police have booked one Chirag Patel for posting a deep fake video of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on social media, where her deep fake-generated avatar calls GST (Goods & Services Tax) as Gopniya Suchna Tax (Secret Information Tax).

According to his X (formerly Twitter) bio, Chirag Patel is based in the United States of America.

GST को गोपनीय रखने के पीछे का कारण स्वयं वित्त मंत्री से सुनिए। pic.twitter.com/MYOgwfTtO0

— ‎Chirag Patel (@tuvter) July 8, 2024

Reacting to this video, the Minister of State for Home Affairs of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghavi, said, “This deceptive act of spreading deep fake videos to mislead citizens is abhorrent. Gujarat police have registered an FIR against this person for spreading this deep fake video. Let’s not fall prey to such manipulative tactics and prioritize truth and accountability in our digital spaces. Together, we can combat misinformation and safeguard the trust of the public.”

This deceptive act of spreading deep fake videos to mislead citizens is abhorrent.

Gujarat police have registered an FIR against this person for spreading this deep fake video.

Trying to mislead citizens Let's not fall prey to such manipulative tactics and prfioritize truth… pic.twitter.com/0DkAt04YaW

— Harsh Sanghavi (@sanghaviharsh) July 9, 2024

It is noteworthy that in this video, the face of the Finance Minister is superimposed on an original video by female Twitter user Garima. After the deep fake video went viral, Garima also reacted to it and wrote on X, “Hi all! Please note THIS is my original video. An irksome AI video is being circulated in my name by a few. I’d request you all to share the original video & not the morphed one as I haven’t authorized anyone to use my video and alter it digitally. हमारी कोई ब्रांच नहीं है ;)”