An Assam man, Pratim Bora, has been arrested in Dibrugarh for allegedly creating a fake social media profile and uploading morphed, AI-generated images of influencer Archita Phukan, also known as "Babydoll Archi". The arrest was made on Saturday evening following a complaint filed by Phukan's brother.
According to police reports, Pratim Bora is Phukan's former partner. He allegedly created the fake profile and uploaded objectionable content with the intention to defame and harass her. Bora, a resident of Tinsukia, had been operating the fake profile for several weeks.
Phukan brought the issue to light after morphed pictures, including some that placed her alongside US adult film star Kendra Lust, began circulating widely on social media. Her friends and acquaintances alerted her to the existence of the fake account and the manipulated images. One such image showed Phukan with Kendra Lust, which rapidly gained traction online. An Instagram page called "Just Assam Things" initially suggested that Phukan herself might be an AI creation, which has since been refuted.
Police tracked Bora using IP address data and technical evidence after he went into hiding. He was apprehended in a rented apartment in Tinsukia. Authorities have seized his phone and laptop for forensic examination. During interrogation, Bora admitted to creating the fake account out of anger and emotional frustration stemming from the end of his relationship with Phukan. He confessed to sourcing images from her old social media posts and editing them.
Authorities have registered a First Information Report (FIR) under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police are considering adding provisions of the Information Technology Act for cyber fraud, defamation, identity manipulation, obscenity, and invasion of privacy.
Archita Phukan, who is known for her reels and fashion content, had previously revealed a difficult past, including a period where she was forced into prostitution. In a 2023 Instagram post, she detailed being trapped in the "dark world of prostitution in India" for six years and having to pay ₹25 lakh for her freedom.
