Brazilian Woman's Photo Used in Indian Voter Fraud Allegations: "I've Never Even Been to India"

The Brazilian woman stated that she has never visited India and has never heard of Rahul Gandhi.

New Delhi:

Larissa Nery, the Brazilian woman whose photograph went viral following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's recent allegations regarding the Haryana election, revealed to NDTV that she believed the controversy was caused by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Larissa, who works as a hairdresser – not a 'model' as Gandhi claimed – expressed feeling "scared" when her image became the center of a major political dispute.

"Initially, I didn't comprehend what had happened. I thought it was a bad joke or AI. At first, I found it amusing when I saw my picture in the background of a video. But after understanding the situation, I became frightened. Now I'm uncertain about what to do because I don't know how people are using my image. I can't understand the memes they're creating with my photo since I don't know the language," Larissa explained to NDTV.

Larissa clarified that the viral photograph was taken approximately eight years ago when she was around 20 years old, and it was taken as a favor for a photographer friend. "I posed for a friend who was a photographer at that time. I did it to help him. The photo was taken against a wall outside my house, so it wasn't even a professional shoot. I was never a model. I'm a hairdresser and have been for many years. I'm just an ordinary person who became entangled in this bizarre situation," she stated.

The photograph, labeled 'woman wearing blue denim jacket,' is available for free download on stock photography websites like Unsplash and Pexels. While Larissa isn't identified on these platforms, the photographer, Matheus Ferrero, is based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The image has been downloaded more than 400,000 times from these two websites alone.

"I've seen the photo used in photo editing applications. Some brands have used it to promote their products. But it was never used for anything illegal or political purposes like it has been now," Larissa said.

Also Read: "I Cast My Vote, Don't Know Who That Is": Voter In 'Brazilian Model' Row

The Brazilian woman confirmed she has never traveled to India, nor has she ever heard of Rahul Gandhi.

"I don't know any of these people. I've never even heard of them. I don't participate in politics – not even in Brazil, honestly. I've never visited India. In fact, I've never left Brazil," she declared.

Larissa mentioned that no authorities have contacted her about the matter – only media representatives and regular citizens.

"Some people, both Indians and Brazilians, began sending me direct messages on Instagram yesterday, sharing the video," she explained.

Larissa temporarily made her Instagram profile private, but has since restored public access.

According to Larissa, while she wouldn't exactly call the incident harassment, she believes it was inappropriate.

"If my image had been used for something positive that promoted my work or Matheus's photography, I would have been pleased. But it was used inappropriately. It's disheartening to see my image connected to this kind of situation. I'm not sure if harassment is the correct term; I don't think so, but it felt like an attack. It wasn't acceptable," the Brazilian woman stated.

Regarding her next steps, Larissa said she's consulting with her lawyer for guidance.

"This just happened. I'm still determining how it affects my reality. It was significant, but primarily in India. It hasn't reached Brazil yet. If it does, I'll need to take action. I've spoken with my lawyer to get advice. Since unauthorized use of someone's image is illegal, right? But I'm still uncertain about what steps I can take to protect my rights. My lawyer and I are waiting for the situation in India to settle so we can understand where this originated and who used my picture. Then we can determine the necessary actions," she explained.

Rahul Gandhi's H-Bomb

On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi alleged substantial electoral fraud in last year's Haryana Assembly elections, claiming that the Brazilian woman's (Larissa) photograph appeared 22 times in the voter list for Haryana's Rai Assembly constituency – a seat BJP's Krishna Gahlawat won, defeating Congress candidate Bhagwan Antil by 4,673 votes.

When an audience member pointed out that the woman didn't appear to be from Haryana, Gandhi responded, "But she votes 22 times in Haryana, and she votes in 10 different polling stations in Haryana, and she has multiple names: Seema, Sweety, Saraswati, Rashmi, Vimla. This is a photograph of a Brazilian model."

Gandhi alleged this was a "centralized operation." "Someone added this woman to the electoral list at a centralized level, not at the polling booth level," he stated.

Showing additional examples of voter IDs with identical pictures but different names, Gandhi said, "The Election Commission can eliminate duplicates instantly. Why don't they do it? The reason: they are assisting the BJP. I am questioning the Election Commission and India's democratic process, and I'm doing so with definitive evidence. We are certain that a scheme was implemented to transform Congress's landslide victory into a defeat."

Sources within the Election Commission questioned what Congress polling agents were doing on election day. "They should object if a voter has already cast their ballot or if they doubt someone's identity," a source remarked. They also asked if Gandhi supports the Special Intensive Revision designed to remove duplicate entries from voter lists and delete names of deceased individuals or those who have relocated from a particular constituency.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized the Congress leader, saying he discusses "fabricated issues." "Polling is occurring in Bihar, yet he's telling stories about Haryana. There's nothing left for him in Bihar, so he's shifting attention to Haryana," he said.

Responding to her viral photo, Larissa posted on Instagram stories, stating she was being portrayed as Indian to "scam people."

"Everyone, they are using an old photo of mine. It's an old picture, okay? I was about 18 or 20 years old. I don't know if it's related to an election or voting... And in India. They're portraying me as Indian to deceive people. What madness! What craziness is this? What kind of world do we live in? A reporter contacted me wanting information about this whole situation, about my salon, my work...requesting an interview, but I didn't respond. The person found me on Instagram and messaged me there. Now, someone completely unrelated to the matter, a friend from across the city, sends me a photo. You wouldn't believe it. Oh my," she said in Portuguese.