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Payal Dhare, who is commonly recognised as Payal Gaming, a popular YouTube gaming channel, had gotten caught up in some drama after a very intimate video surfaced on various social networking sites which some people believed belonged to her. The video had gone viral during the time, although a lot of her fans immediately jumped into action, defending her and stating that the video was definitely not of her and might be an AI-generated deepfake video, Payal hadn’t immediately come out and commented on the video. However, in her defence, she clearly stated that the video was not hers.
Police Confirmed The Video Was Fake
The Maharashtra Cyber Police took up the issue, after a complaint by Payal Dhare and registered a case against the unknown individual. After conducting the necessary investigation and confirming that the video wasn’t hers, the Maharashtra Cyber Police issued a press release mentioning that according to the information provided by Mrs. Payal Dhare on a certain video being uploaded on the Internet, an FIR (No. 52/2025) has been registered against unknown persons under Sections 3(5), 79 and 356(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Section 67 of Information Technology Act, 2000 and Sections 3 and 4 of Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition)Act, 1986.
The statement had further stated that through the use of the technology provided by the Maharashtra State Cyber Department, it had been established that the video had been altered digitally. The analysis had confirmed it as a deepfake produced through the use of artificial intelligence techniques.
Who Is Payal Gaming?
Payal Dhare had established herself as one of the most popular women gamers in India before the scandal occurred. Having originated from Chhattisgarh, she entered the gaming industry in 2019 as she started doing live streams of BGMI on YouTube. Her popularity shot up when she became a part of S8UL Esports, thus gaining the title of the best female gamer not only in India but abroad as well. Before the scandal occurred, Payal had won several awards, among them the MOBIES International Dynamic Gaming Creator of the Year, and her Instagram account had more than 4 million followers.
A Quick Recap Of Deepfakes
The incident had added to the list of cases in which AI-created videos had been used to threaten public figures and stressed the importance of verification of claims made before posting videos or other sensitive information online.
Khushi Patel is a Senior Sub Editor at NewsX, covering automotive, technology, Lifestyle, entertainment, and mainstream news. She previously worked as a Copy Editor at Times Network and has written automotive editorial content, including comparison pieces, for TimesDrive.
