There is no truth in the report of a private forensic lab about the nude video call allegedly involving YSRCP (YSR Congress Party) MP Gorantla Madhav, the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) chief said on Thursday, August 18. Five days after opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) claimed that the video clip was found to be authentic and unedited by a US-based expert in video forensics and image analysis, the state police disputed it.
Additional Director General of Police (CID) PV Sunil Kumar said that the video sent for forensic analysis to a US lab was not the original version, but one recorded by a third person while playing the video on another device. Sunil Kumar claimed that the lab did not say that the video content was original. He alleged that some people had altered the report and circulated it, and that the report in circulation wasn’t the original one either. The CID chief also stated that the report of the private lab carried no value. He said the report of only a state lab is considered authentic.
Sunil Kumar pointed out that MP Madhav has already clarified that this is not his video. The MP has also complained that it is a morphed video and the police will take action on this as per law, he said. The TDP had last week released the report purportedly from US-based Eclipse Forensics. The report signed by forensic examiner Jim Stafford was released by TDP leaders Pattabhi Ram and Vangalapudi Anitha at a news conference.
According to Stafford, who claims to be a certified and court-qualified expert in video forensics and image analysis, he was asked to determine if the video was authentic or if it had been altered/edited. The expert noted that the video sent to him was created by recording the original video being played on a smartphone.
"In conclusion, based on my education, training, experience, and expertise in image analysis, mobile investigation, and digital forensic examination it is my expert opinion that the video shown in this recording is authentic and un-edited," reads the report. The CID chief, however, noted that this means that it is the recording of the original video which is unedited, and that it is not a comment on the authenticity of the original video itself.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) last week urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take action against the MP. The Commission received a complaint of alleged sexual harassment against him. According to the complaint, the MP is alleged to have engaged in an explicit video call without the victim's consent.
The MP from Hindupur has denied the allegations against him. He claimed that a fake and morphed video was circulated by some people to malign him. Earlier, Anantapur Superintendent of Police Kaginelli Fakkeerappa had told the media that the video clip is not original but whether it is morphed or not can be established only after they get the original video (instead of a recording of the original video).
He revealed that the video was uploaded from a mobile number registered in the UK and was first shared in an iTDP WhatsApp group. The SP said since the video has been shared multiple times across social media platforms, it has become difficult for the police to ascertain if it was real or morphed. The SP said unless the person who first posted the video is identified and the video is traced, the clip currently being circulated may be edited or morphed.