He staged a goat’s funeral, used AI to fake his death: How UP Police caught the murder accused

Lucknow: A man facing trial in a 2016 murder case in Uttar Pradesh allegedly used artificial intelligence (AI) to fake his own death and mislead the police and court. He reportedly staged a goat’s funeral, used AI to place his face on an image of the animal lying on a funeral pyre and shared the picture on social media to make people believe he had died.

The accused, Rajkumar Rajbhar alias Raju, 38, was arrested near the Khwajajahanpur area of Mau on Sunday (October 25) morning. The police said he was also named in cases involving alleged fraud worth crores of rupees. He had allegedly collected money from influential people in several major cities by promising to invest it in the stock market and earn them substantial profits.

According to the police, Rajbhar came under pressure when investors began demanding their money back and he faced legal action in the 2016 murder of Yogesh Singh. He allegedly devised the fake-death plan to evade the police and court.

How accused used AI to fake his death

Additional Superintendent of Police Anoop Kumar said Rajbhar staged his death in Ghazipur on May 30, 2025. After a goat died, he allegedly organised its funeral using traditional rituals and staged a funeral procession.

He then used artificial intelligence to create a manipulated image that showed his own face on the body of the goat lying on a funeral pyre. The image was meant to convince people that he had died, he said. He also shared the picture on social media to support the story.

Fake death certificate submitted to court

The accused allegedly used the fabricated image and the false story of his death to obtain a death certificate from the Mau Municipal Council. He and his associates later submitted the certificate to the court to establish that the main accused in the murder case was dead.

The move, according to the police, was aimed at convincing the court that Rajbhar had died, which could have led to the closure of the case against him. After obtaining the certificate, he allegedly went underground and stayed out of the police’s sight.

Police tracking leads to arrest

The Kotwali Nagar police, the Special Operations Group (SOG) and the surveillance team in Mau jointly investigated the case. Technical surveillance and further inquiries helped investigators uncover the alleged fraud and trace him.

The police arrested him near Khwajajahanpur on Sunday. Investigators are now looking into whether other people helped him stage the fake death and how he obtained the death certificate from the municipal council.

Case registered under BNS

A fresh case has been registered against Rajbhar at Kotwali Nagar police station under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The allegations include making fraudulent documents and attempting to establish that he was dead.

The police are also investigating the role of his associates and the circumstances in which the death certificate was issued. Rajbhar had been facing trial in the 2016 Yogesh Singh murder case and was also accused in alleged financial fraud cases.