Bhutanese women are increasingly being targeted through Telegram groups, sharing non-consensual content and AI-generated deepfake images. During the Meet the Press session today, the Department of Law and Order said three cases have been registered with the police so far. The home affairs ministry is stepping up efforts to prevent such incidents through public awareness.
Named “Locals Local”, one of the Telegram groups hosts over 13,000 members, who actively share and comment mostly explicit deepfake and AI-generated photos and videos.
One of our reporters who was able to join the group but later exited, noticed that explicit images and videos are shared in the group.
Members said most of the content is taken directly from personal social media accounts or pages, then share digitally altered or manipulated into sexualised deepfake images and videos.
And it doesn’t stop there.
Personal details of women, including contact numbers, current addresses, and links to social media accounts, are also circulated within the group.
This is where the cycle of sextortion begins.
Sextortion is when someone threatens to publish or share a person’s sexual or explicit images or intimate details unless the victim pays money, provides sexual favours, or complies with other demands.
For 19-year-old Jamyang Choden Dorji, the harassment never seems to stop. Almost every day, she receives threatening and taunting messages, warning that her deepfake images will be spread across social media platforms.
“It started around the 10th of April this year. I was at my mother’s shop when I received a message request on Messenger around 5 PM. The person had sent me AI-edited explicit videos of myself, claiming it was me, and threatened to post them online. I immediately told my mother, and we went to file a complaint with the Phuentshogling police. They said they would look into the case, but I have not received any update since. I blocked the account as advised by the police officer.”
However, the threats did not stop there. In September, she received the same explicit images again, this time from a different Facebook account.
“I think it’s the same person, just using a different name. The first account was called Lhaba Lhaba, and now it’s Penjo Dorji. He keeps sending me the same images he sent back in April. He blackmails me, saying he will share them in the Telegram group, send them to his friends, and post them on X. He doesn’t ask for money; instead, he demands video calls and phone sex.”
Jamyang says such groups mostly target teenagers.
When the incident first occurred in April, Jamyang shared her experience on TikTok, where she received messages from several young girls who said they were going through similar situations.
She has reported the incident to Thimphu police.
Likewise, 19-year-old Rashnika Rai recently took to social media to share her own ordeal, how she discovered that her dance videos had gone viral in the same Telegram group.
Following her post, she also received messages from other young women describing how such threats had disrupted their lives.
And this is not the only group. Members in this group often share links to other similar Telegram groups, some of which require an entry fee of a few hundred ngultrum to join.
But BBS has yet to get information from police about this case.
The Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority, BICMA, said that cracking down on such groups requires an official communication channel with Telegram’s administrators.
The authority also stated that they have yet to receive any formal complaint related to the group.
Under the 2018 Information, Communications and Media Act, anyone who knowingly publishes, distributes, or shares obscene content through digital platforms commits a misdemeanour offence and must pay compensation to the victim. The Act also holds people accountable if they allow their ICT systems or devices to be used for circulating such material, unless they have no control over the platform or network.
Karma Dorji from the Department of Law and Order said, “So far, three cases have been registered with the Police. Two cases, involving a suspect who allegedly harassed victims by threatening to circulate explicit AI-generated images, are currently under police custody, while efforts are underway to trace the remaining anonymous account.”
He added that nine other women have been threatened by one of the suspects, which is deeply concerning. He said that although the Police have received only a few reports so far, along with the relevant authorities, they will continue to investigate and take necessary action.
Tashi Dekar
Edited by Tshering Zam
