Overview
- Western Cyber Cell detained four Valueleaf employees for allegedly supplying Facebook/Instagram ad IDs to overseas fraudsters who promoted deepfake videos of market analysts.
- Police said Meta flagged the paid ads within a week as suspicious with a yellow marker, after which the operators expanded accounts from 18 to 38, and later routed campaigns via a Dubai-based company.
- Officers reported the ad push began in July and the case was registered on September 29 following a complaint from SEBI-registered analyst Prakash Gaba under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and IT Act.
- The accused were remanded in custody as probes continue into foreign masterminds and other Indian intermediaries, with Mumbai Police warning digital agencies against facilitating such campaigns.
- Parallel crackdowns show the wider network: Hyderabad police arrested a man who supplied mule accounts for fake trading apps, and Delhi Police arrested two men and a 19-year-old influencer for selling bank accounts to cyber syndicates, while elderly victims in Mumbai reported losses exceeding ₹4.7 crore in separate impersonation and deepfake-linked cases.