Archita Phukan is a 29-year-old lifestyle content creator from Dibrugarh, Assam. With the playful riff, @babydoll_archi, she has built a loyal following of 1 million fans on Instagram with her dance reels, make-up tips and snippets of Northeast culture. Friends refer to her as "cheerful but crazy private," until June 2025, she had no connections to the adult industry. Her sudden relaunch as an erotic “AI model” shocked fans and family alike, creating a perfect recipe for a digital horror story.
AI or Real: How the Internet Confused a Human for a Deepfake
In late June, a flood of ultra-glossy images inadvertently suggested that Archita herself was a computer-generated character as a result of speculation generated by tantalizing click-bait headlines claiming “India's first AI influencer.” Her impeccably polished skin, exaggerated curves and absent metadata convinced many that she was computer-generated. The absurdly polished images were actually the result of the bliss of having AI up-scaling and face-swap tools used against her, merging hyper-editing with digital fabrication. The ease with which the public misconstrued the images underscores how small digital alterations can spark conspiracy theories in the era of generative AI.
The Kendra Lust Photo & Other Morphed Images That Lit the Spark
The tipping‑point was a faked photo, placing Archita next to U.S. adult star Kendra Lust. This is not a collaboration that happened together. But shared widely in Telegram groups and meme pages as a photo implying she had "gone global" as a porn performer. Police allege the image was constructed in MidJourney, colour graded in Photoshop and distributed via burner accounts to trigger virality. Within 24 hours, the fake photo gained over half a million views while dragging Archita - "Babydoll Archi" into mainstream news.
Police Arrested Archita Phukan Boyfriend Pratim Bora in Dibrugarh
On 13 July 2025, officers from the cyber-crime unit executed a raid on the Tinsukia residence of 28-year-old mechanical engineer Pratim Bora - a former college friend of Archita. During the raid police seized two laptops, three phones, 14 SIM cards and extensive logs from the payment-gateway. Police allege Bora created numerous profiles exhibiting fake Identities, uploaded morphs to subscription sites, and even acted as Archita with users on paid Skype calls. A District Court has remanded Bora to the state's custody for five days while forensic experts sift through the 230GB of seized material.
Archita Phukan Deepfake Videos Earned an Estimated ₹10 Lakh
Business-Today's visual investigation revealed that Bora had made roughly ₹10 lakh (~US $12,000) within six months. He utilized a "premium channel" model, charging Rs 499 monthly for "exclusive AI videos," upselling using crypto wallets to avoid charge-backs. Police say just one selfie of Archita was sufficient for the automatic generation of dozens of explicit videos with DreamMachine and Desire AI. The rapid cash-grab reveals how revenge porn 2.0 now operates like a SaaS hustle, weaponizing interpersonal trauma to make illegitimate/improper revenue.
The Legal Playbook: What Sections of India's New BNS & IT Act Were Used
Bora's charge sheet lists § 69 (cyber-defamation), § 73 (voyeurism) and § 78 (publication of obscene material) under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and § 66E and § 67A of the IT Act. If he's convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to ₹10 lakh. Lawyers involved in the case note that this is among the first cases to test India's draft Deepfake Rules 2025—which provides for a required takedown response from the online platforms within 24 hours or else a ₹1-crore fine. The outcome here might be precedent-setting on AI-generated abuse across the country.
Social Media Reacts: Outrage, Memes and a Bigger Conversation on AI Harassment
#JusticeForArchita and #DeepfakeCrime trended for 48 hours on X and Instagram, with a combined 70 million impressions. As memes mocking Bora spread online, a concurrent wave of serious threads began to emerge tackling AI ethics, male entitlement and the uneven cyber-policing in India. Influencers from across the diaspora created a coordinated "story chain" to advance Archita's request for speedy justice and to show how creator solidarity can speak louder than smear campaigns.
AI is getting out of hand —
— खुरपेंचˢᵉⁿᵃ (@Khurpenchh___) July 14, 2025
Influencer Archita Phukan’s ex-BF used AI to create fake adult images and viral them via a fake Insta account.
He’s now arrested.
Meanwhile, many on social media shared those images without verifying a thing.
pic.twitter.com/NCdBjYFfrO
Archita Speaks Out: Her Statement, Mental Toll & Fight for Justice
In an emotional Instagram reel shared shortly after the arrest, Archita thanked her followers for "not believing the lies" and lamented the absence of stricter AI-verification laws. Close friends have said she experienced anxiety attacks and considered leaving social media altogether. She has hired a trauma counsellor, and is working with the Delhi-based NGO Cyber Saathi to create guidelines for survivors. Archita's promise to "come back stronger" has inspired many young women to speak out against digital harassment.
What the Case Reveals About Deepfakes & Digital Literacy
Experts are saying that the Archita case was a "dress rehearsal," of sorts, for more serious threats of identity theft. With open-source models making it easier to create a fake at lower skill levels, midrange laptops can render fake porn in 5 minutes! The greater concern is that the public continues to be gullible: most viewers will not check the metadata or do a reverse image search. Digital literacy programs are necessary in the short term: without digital literacy, the area of developing trust — from dating apps to trust in democracy — will be diminished by deepfakes.
Staying Safe: Practical Steps & Official Helplines
Verify all viral images with Google Lens or InVID.
Set up two-factor log-in to prevent your accounts from being hijacked.
As soon as you identify a deepfake exploitation, file an e-FIR under the Cyber Crime Portal.
Women & Child Helpline 1091 and Cyber Helpline 1930 operate 24x7.
Influencers should store an offline vault of their original images so that if a fake emerges, it is easier to prove their original image is authentic. And collectively, reporting it early and chasing fact-checks in the community may slow down a deepfake's reach before it becomes mass defamation.
