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Shaadi season in full swing tha, aur pandemic ke baad bhi India ne jugaar dhoond liya tha — virtual marriages via Zoom. High-profile Delhi business tycoon Ratul Bansal ki beti Rhea ki shaadi ho rahi thi — online. Guests from Mumbai to Dubai tak Zoom rooms mein connected the. Ek big fat shaadi without the tandoori smell or real baraat, but sab kuch perfectly choreographed tha.
Room 5 mein Rhea ke close friends ka virtual lounge tha. Wahin Sanat, Rhea ka college friend aur dulhe ka best man, background mein phir se jokes crack kar raha tha. Sab log cameras on karke thoda emotional, thoda drunk lag rahe the.
Dulha, Kartik, ek Stanford return tech entrepreneur, ne logon ke saamne ek emotional toast diya: “Rhea, tum meri zindagi ki code ho jiska password sirf mere paas hai.” Sab hansa, Rhea ne cheeks pe lal blush lagaya, aur screen pe virtual hearts bounce ho gaye.
Lekin 8:33 pm pe sab kuch change ho gaya.
Sanat ne hastily apna mute button on kiya aur bola, “Guys, someone’s calling me from Kartik’s side room… kuch off lag raha hai…” Camera thoda hilta hai, aur jab Sanat ka face screen pe wapas aata hai — it’s pale, terrified.
“Kartik… he’s bleeding… ek kuchh iron rod jaisa shi… I— I think he’s dead.”
Zoom pone chalatay hain. Panic spread hoti hai. Sab samajh nahi paate — pehle to ye virtual shaadi ka tahalka, aur ab virtual crime!
CCTV nahi tha, kyunki Kartik ne kahaa tha ki woh shaadi se pehle spiritual retreat pe gayaa hai, ek remote Himachal farmhouse mein, jahan se woh virtual marriage attend kar raha tha. Uska assistant Rajeev hi wahaan saath tha.
ACP Neera Singh ko case diya gaya — ek tech-savvy, neuropsych specialist-turned-cop. Woh sab Zoom recordings, timestamps, and facial expressions analyze karne mein maahir thi.
Woh Sanat se mili: “Tumhe kaise pata chala Kartik mar gaya hai?”
Sanat ne kaha: “Ma’am, main us se kuchh discuss karne gaya tha shaadi relacionados, woh camera se thoda door tha, to mic band karke chale gaya. But maine kuchh awaz suni. Jab main screen pe wapas aaya, Kartik unconscious dikh raha tha, aur Rajeev gayab tha. Lia lights blinking kar rahi thi.”
ACP Neera ne Sanat ki feed analyze ki. Ek subtle detail dekha — Sanat ka camera, jo usually eye level pe rahata tha, iss clip mein knee height pe tha. And the expression on his face — zyada rehearsed lag raha tha.
Usne tech forensic karwayi. Turns out Kartik ka video un dino prerecorded tha. Shaadi ke din woh actually dead hi tha — subah ke 6 baje uske head pe blunt injury hui thi.
Par ye sab live stream kaise chal raha tha?
Clue milta hai facial anomalies se — Kartik’s head never nodded, his arm never moved in real-time. Woh actually AI-generated deepfake avatar tha.
Neera ne phir pucha: “Who had the skill to create an AI deepfake resembling Kartik, confidently enough to fool his own family?”
Eyes turned to none other than Sanat — ex-visual effects artist, ek time pe notorious for gaming surveillance systems during cyber festivals.
Jab usse corner kiya gaya, usne confess kiya.
“Main Rhea se college ke time se pyar karta tha. Kartik ne sab chheen liya. Woh sirf image tha. Uski company ne meri start-up copy kara, mujhe sue karke barbad kar diya. Maine Kartik ko Himachal bulaya under guilt ke, bola ki main make peace karna chahta hu. Wahin pe main usse maara.”
“Zoom shaadi ka plan already in place tha. Maine uska deepfake bana liya, uski exact shaadi ke answers ke recordings liye, AI pe daala, aur livestream chala diya. Sabko laga woh abhi zinda hai… jab woh subah se dead padha tha.”
Twist?
Zoom automation bot ne Kartik ki preset expression loop ko detect kar liya tha — aur ek alert bheja dulhe ke father ko.
Shaadi mein toh sirf rituals hote hain… lekin iska ek ritual murder tha, virtual vows ke beech.
Neera Singh ne Sanat ko cyber-manslaughter under Section 66F ke andar arrest karwaya — modern crime, modern punishment.
Aur Rhea? Usne livestream delete kar diya. “Jo shaadi Zoom pe hui thi… use Zoom se hi vanish hona chahiye.”
