FIR against man for circulating AI-generated image of tiger roaming in Karad city

Kolhapur: A man was booked late on Thursday night for allegedly circulating AI-generated photo and video falsely suggesting a tiger had entered Karad city in Satara district. The visuals, which spread rapidly across social media platforms, triggered fear among residents, prompting swift action from the forest department.According to officials, the accused, a resident of Mujawar Colony, had edited the image to show a tiger roaming openly in the city, causing widespread concern in the city. Range forest officer Lalita Patil said after the department received the viral message, teams inspected the location and reviewed CCTV footage but found no evidence of any tiger movement. "Residents in the area also confirmed that they had not seen a tiger at the spot shown in the video. Based on these findings, a case was registered against the individual for spreading fake visuals and creating panic among the residents," Patil said.The video was subsequently forwarded to the cybercrime department in Karad for technical analysis. "We appeal to the residents to refrain from believing or sharing unverified messages, rumours and AI-generated visuals," Patil said.The action was carried out under the guidance of deputy conservator of forests Amol Satpute, assistant conservator of forests Jayashri Jadhav, RFO Lalita Patil, forest ranger Anand Jagtap, forest guards Akshay Patil and Abhijeet Shelke, along with rapid response team members Ajay Mahadik and Rohit Kulkarni.