From AI-manipulated clips going viral on social media platforms with misleading claims to a fake letter being incorrectly attributed to the Ministry of External Affairs, read our recap to find out the top five pieces of misinformation from this week.
1. Video of BSF IG Admitting Failure in Counter-Terrorism Operations Is Deepfake
A video of BSF IG, Kashmir Frontier, Ashok Yadav, where he could be heard talking about how the forces have neutralised zero terrorists, went viral on the internet as his recent remarks.
But we found that the video was manipulated using the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and does not show his real statements.
You can read the full story here.
2. Did India Issue a Letter to Pakistan Seeking Transfer of Imran Khan? No!
A purported document from the Ministry of External Affairs went viral on social media platforms with a claim that the Indian government requested Pakistan to send its former PM Imran Khan as a 'political prisoner'.
However, we found several inconsistencies in the viral document raising doubts about its authenticity.
Press Information Bureau's (PIB) fact-check wing, on its X account, debunked the image as fake.
Read our fact-check here.
3. AI Clips & Unrelated Images Shared as Recent Visuals of Cyclone in Sri Lanka
Two visuals, which showed an elephant rescuing a leopard and a photo of a bridge under construction submerged in water, were going viral with users linking it to the Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka.
(Swipe right to view all visuals.)
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
We found that while the video was AI-generated, the image dated back to September and was actually from Hyderabad.
You can read the full story here.
4. No, CDS Chauhan Didn’t Say India Surrendered Arunachal, Ladakh to China
A video that purportedly showed Indian Army's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan saying that India has surrendered Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh to China went viral on social media platforms.
Team WebQoof found that the video was a deepfake. There was no evidence to prove that CDS Chauhan indeed made such a statement.
Read our fact-check here.
5. Deepfake Video Shared as Real Report About Sonam Wangchuk’s Custodial Death
A video report purportedly shared by India Today was being circulated on social media platforms claiming that activist Sonam Wangchuk passed away in custody after he was arrested under the NSA on 26 September.
However, the video was a deepfake and we did not find any credible reports confirming Wangchuk's death.
You can read the full story here.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)