Deepfake Deception: How a Bengaluru Woman Lost ₹3.75 Crore to an AI Sadhguru Scam
Deepfake Deception: How a Bengaluru Woman Lost ₹3.75 Crore to an AI Sadhguru Scam
Anjali Rao, a 57-year-old retired school principal, had always considered herself discerning. Living a quiet life in Bengaluru, her days were structured around her garden, her books, and the spiritual teachings she followed online. Among her most trusted guides was Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, whose wisdom on lifestyle and well-being she found deeply motivational.
On the evening of February 25, 2025, while scrolling through social media, a reel caught her eye. It was Sadhguru. Or rather, it was a flawless, AI-generated version of him. The voice, the cadence, the familiar calming presence—it was all perfect. But the message was new. He spoke not of inner engineering, but of financial freedom, endorsing a revolutionary new trading platform that promised remarkable returns from a modest initial investment of just $250. For Anjali, the endorsement from a figure of such immense trust overrode any flicker of skepticism. This felt like a sign, a modern path to securing her future.
She clicked the link.
Within hours, she was contacted on WhatsApp by a man calling himself Waleed B. His profile picture was professional, his tone reassuring. He welcomed her to the “exclusive investment circle” and added her to a WhatsApp group buzzing with activity. The group was a cascade of screenshots showing massive profits and testimonials from supposedly successful members. A sense of community and urgency was expertly manufactured.
Waleed guided her to download a sleek stock trading app. Anjali made her initial $250 investment, and just as promised, her dashboard lit up with profits within days. It felt exhilarating. To build her confidence further, Waleed organized exclusive Zoom calls, offering “trading lessons” and market insights. He was patient and articulate, making Anjali feel empowered, as if she were mastering a new skill, not just handing over her money.
Trust was now firmly established. Bolstered by the ever-growing, yet entirely fictional, numbers on her screen, Anjali began to invest more. Much more. Between late February and April, she liquidated her life savings, her retirement fund, and her fixed deposits. Each transaction was met with encouragement from Waleed and celebratory messages in the group. Her on-screen balance swelled to an astronomical figure, a testament, she believed, to her newfound financial acumen.
In late April, with her digital wallet showing a balance of several crores, Anjali decided to withdraw a portion of her earnings to renovate her home. She initiated the withdrawal process through the app. The request was immediately met with a message from Waleed. To process such a large international transfer, he explained, she needed to pay a series of “taxes” and “processing fees.” The amounts were substantial, but compared to her supposed winnings, they seemed like a final, minor hurdle. Desperate to access the fortune she believed was hers, she paid.
And then, silence.
The next day, Waleed B’s number was unreachable. The bustling WhatsApp group had vanished. The trading app on her phone would no longer open, displaying only a persistent error message. The screen, which had once been a source of thrilling possibility, was now a dead end.
The cold, sickening realization washed over her. There were no profits. There was no trading platform. Waleed, the group, the lessons—it was all an elaborate, cruel digital theatre. The AI-generated face of her trusted spiritual guru had been the puppet master in a scam that had just cost her everything.
From February 25 to April 23, Anjali Rao had been meticulously and ruthlessly stripped of ₹3.75 crore. She was left with nothing but a deleted app and the haunting echo of a familiar voice, twisted by technology to lead her down a path of financial ruin. Her lifestyle, once secure and peaceful, was now a landscape of debt and devastating loss, a harsh lesson in the dark new reality of AI-powered deception.
