India Murder Suspect Arrested After Faking Death With AI and Goat
Indian police have arrested a murder suspect who allegedly faked his death using a burned goat, AI-generated images, and a forged death certificate to evade trial for an 18-month period.
Indian police have arrested a 38-year-old murder suspect who allegedly faked his own death using a slaughtered goat, AI-generated images, and a forged death certificate submitted to court.
The suspect, Rajkumar Rajbhar, was apprehended in the Mau district of Uttar Pradesh after evading authorities for approximately 18 months, according to investigators.
Elaborate Hoax Involving AI and a Goat
Investigators stated that Rajbhar attempted to convince the court he had passed away in order to halt criminal proceedings against him in a 2016 murder case. To execute the scheme, he allegedly organized a staged funeral in the Ghazipur area in May 2025, during which a goat was burned on a funeral pyre.
Using photo-editing software and artificial intelligence, manipulated images were subsequently produced to make it appear as though Rajbhar himself was lying on the pyre. The original photographs reportedly depicted a headless goat carcass, which was digitally altered to resemble a human body.
Furthermore, the suspect obtained a forged death certificate purporting to be issued by the Mau municipal council. Both the certificate and the digital images were submitted to the judiciary as evidence of his alleged demise.
The 2016 Murder Case and Financial Dispute
Rajbhar is accused of involvement in the December 2016 murder of Yogesh Singh, the owner of a brick kiln in Mau, who was shot dead amid a financial dispute concerning loans and investments.
According to police, Rajbhar operated as an investment agent and had collected funds from various individuals with promises of high returns. Investigators believe the faked death was intended to help him evade both the murder trial and financial liabilities to defrauded investors.
Police are also investigating two homeopathic doctors suspected of suggesting the elaborate ruse and assisting in its planning. Following a tip-off, a special operations team located and arrested Rajbhar in the Mau district, and judicial proceedings regarding the original murder charge have now resumed.
