Patna: In a case that has raised concerns over the misuse of AI, a 19-year-old engineering student from Siwan district allegedly used an AI-based platform to seek information on methods of committing a murder while leaving minimal visible injuries, according to police. Investigators alleged that he subsequently carried out the crime with the assistance of his minor brother, targeting a man who had objected to his relationship with a female relative.The victim, Kamre Alam (40) of Lakdi village, had recently returned from abroad. According to investigators, he had consistently objected to the relationship between Shahnawaz Alam and one of his relatives, which eventually led to a deadly conspiracy.Police said Shahnawaz, who was at home owing to summer vacation, involved his younger brother in the plot. The duo allegedly lured Kamre to a secluded spot behind a school in Lakdidhuri Rai Tola in Lakdinbigha area on June 18 night. There, they reportedly knocked him unconscious by striking him on the head with a lump of hardened mud before stuffing mud into his mouth and face, causing death by suffocation.According to Siwan SP Puran Kumar Jha, the accused had researched murder techniques through an AI-based platform before carrying out the crime. The youth specifically searched for ways to reduce visible injury marks and make it difficult for police to determine the exact circumstances of the killing, he said, adding an FIR, naming the two accused, has been lodged. He said the proof of use of the AI platform has been found from his mobile phone.“The murder was uncovered during a routine night patrol. Police personnel noticed mud stains on the clothes of two youths riding a motorcycle. When they attempted to flee after spotting the patrol team, officers became suspicious and chased them down. During questioning, the duo admitted to killing a man. Examination of their mobile phones revealed photographs of Kamre and other evidence linked to the crime. Acting on information provided by the accused, police recovered the victim’s body from bushes behind a local school and sent it for the postmortem,” the SP said on Saturday.Investigators also found an audio recording on Shahnawaz’s mobile phone. Police claim the recording captured conversations before the murder as well as sounds from the crime spot. During interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed that he had recorded the incident to play it for his girlfriend and show her the extent to which he was willing to go for their relationship.Police said the autopsy report found suffocation to be the cause of death, while external injury marks were limited.The SP said, “The accused was arrested, and his minor brother was detained, and the audio recording recovered from the mobile phone is expected to play a key role in the ongoing investigation.”
