A collage of four images is being shared on social media platforms with users claiming that it shows visuals from India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The claim comes amidst the diplomatic row between India and Maldives, which was triggered when a minister from Maldives made insulting remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Who shared it?: X (formerly Twitter) premium subscriber Arun Pudur shared the collage with a caption saying, "“Atithi Devo Bhava” #exploreindianislands Andaman Nicobar Islands."
You can view an archive of the post here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
Another X premium user, Tajinder Bagga, shared two images claiming them to be from Chidiya Tapu Beach at Port Blair.
You can view an archive of the post here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
Are these claims true?: Except for one image, all the others are old and unrelated to India or the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. All five images in question are available on stock image websites, most of which were clicked in Thailand.
IMAGE 1
We performed a Google Lens search on the first image, which showed multiple boats at the beachside, and came across the same one uploaded on a stock website named ' Shutterstock'.
Its caption said, "Tonsai Beach bay view with many traditional longtail boats parking and palm seafront in Thailand, Phi Phi island, Krabi Province, Andaman Sea."
We could not find more details about the image like the date it was taken.
The image is from Thailand's Phi Phi Island.
(Source: Shutterstock/Screenshot)
IMAGE 2
The second photo showed a woman snorkeling inside crystal blue water. Using the help of reverse image search, we were able to find the same image uploaded on a website named 'iStock'.
According to its description, the photograph was uploaded on 2 April 2018 and was credited to a user called 'Bicho_raro'.
The description also identified the location as the United States.
The picture was also uploaded on other websites, such as Alamy and was credited to one Denis Moskovinov.
The image was uploaded on 2 April 2018.
(Source: iStock/Screenshot)
However, Moskovinov's wife, Katya Abakumova, confirmed to Alt News that the picture was clicked by one of her friends and was shared by her husband.
She further said that the image was clicked in the Indian Ocean near Lembongan Island in Indonesia.
IMAGE 3
On performing a Google Lens search, we came across the image of a man and a woman standing inside a boat on a website called 'Adobe Stock'.
The image was uploaded with a caption that said, "Happy couple traveler joy fun beautiful nature scenic landscape Phang-Nga bay, Adventure landmark travel Phuket Thailand, Tourist people on summer holiday vacation trip, Tourism destination place Asia."
The image was taken in Thailand.
(Source: Adobe Stock/Screenshot)
We found several similar pictures on the website, which showed the same duo posing in the same scenery. According to its caption, the image was taken in Thailand.
We could not find any more details about the image.
The image was clicked in Thailand.
(Source: Adobe Stock/Screenshot)
IMAGE 4
Team WebQoof found the fourth image, which showed a scenery with mountains in the back, on Flickr.
According to its description, the image was captured by a Nikon camera and was credited to 'Mike Behnken'.
The image's EXIF data showed that it was taken on 19 July 2011. As per the geotag available in the description, the image was in Thailand.
The image was captured on 19 July 2011.
(Source: Flickr/Screenshot)
We also found several similar images to the viral one uploaded on different stock websites, such as Adobe Stock and Unsplash.
The image's location was said to be Phi Phi Island.
(Source: Adobe Stock/Screenshot)
IMAGE 5
Team WebQoof performed a reverse image search on the image claimed to be from Chidiya Tapu Beach at Port Blair.
A Tineye search led us to the same image available on Alamy. The image was captioned, "Asian tropical beach paradise in Thailand."
The image was uploaded on 7 December 2018.
(Source: Alamy/Screenshot)
The same image was also available on the website of Adobe Stock.
The caption identified the location as Thailand.
(Source: Adobe Stock/Screenshot)
The problem with the claims: Sharing pictures from different places while talking about islands and union territories from India, may mislead people. This calls for an effort to look for credible and right sources before sharing visuals on the social media platforms.
PM Modi recently visited Lakshadweep and shared some glimpses from his visit.
Conclusion: Five old and unrelated images are being shared with users linking them to India and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
(Editor's Note: An earlier version of the report incorrectly identified one of the images’ location. The error is regretted.)
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