From misinformation around Indian islands to unrelated visuals being falsely linked to the Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, here is a recap of some of the most viral pieces of misinformation from this week.
1. India-Maldives Row Gives Way to Unverified Claims About en Masse ‘Cancellations’
Amid diplomatic tensions between India and the Maldives, several Indian users started a campaign on social media platforms to boycott the Maldives. The users also urged Indians to explore destinations within the country.
Following this, a claim circulated on the internet stating that Indians had "so far" cancelled 5,520 flight tickets and 10,500 hotel bookings after a minister in Maldives insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
An archive of this post can be seen here.
(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)
Media organisation, Mint, too, shared similar numbers without mentioning their source, before retracting and saying that many social media users had claimed so.
The older version of the article claimed that over 8,000 hotel bookings and 2,500 flight tickets had been cancelled.
(Source: Mint/ Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
However, The Quint did not come across any credible sources which carried these numbers. While many Indians have announced cancelling their travel plans to the Maldives on social media posts, but the number appeared to be exaggerated.
You can read the full story here.
2. Unrelated Video From Varanasi Falsely Linked to Ayodhya Ram Mandir Inauguration
A video showing several Havan Kunds (fire pits) went viral on social media platforms with a claim that it shows preparations for the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.
However, we found that the claim was false. The video dated back to December 2023 and showed 25,000 thousand fire pits made for the Yagya (sacrifice) held in the Swarveda Mahamandir in Varanasi.
Watch our video below for more details.
You can read our fact-check here.
3. Fact-Check: Unrelated Images Passed Off as Visuals From Lakshadweep
The internet witnessed a large number of images being shared as visuals from Lakshadweep with users encouraging Indians to explore the place.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had shared two images on his official X account, claiming them to be from Lakshadweep and urging people to visit Indian islands.
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: X /Screenshot)
Bollywood actor, Ranveer Singh, shared another image showing an aerial view of three islands with a hashtag '#exploreindianislands'.
The post has now been deleted.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
Team WebQoof found that all these visuals were old and unrelated to India.
The image showing two people kayaking in clear water dated back to 2011 and was taken in Maldives.
The photo of a man swimming underwater was available on a stock image website and was reportedly taken in Bora Bora, French Polynesia.
The image posted by Singh showed a bird's eye view of Male, Maldives and was available on multiple stock image websites.
You can read the full story here.
4. Fact-Check: No, All Indians Will Not Receive ₹2,000 in Bank Accounts Under PMJDY
A graphic was being shared to claim all Indians are eligible to receive ₹2,000 in their bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). The claim also carried a link to receive the amount.
However, we found that the link attached to the graphic directed users to a bogus website. The official website for the PMJDY is 'www.pmjdy.gov.in.'
Watch our video below to find more details.
You can read our fact-check here.
5. Fact-Check: These Images of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Are AI-Generated
About six images went viral on the internet with users claiming that it shows real visuals of American financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and former United States President Donald Trump.
The images came after new documents linked to Epstein were released in a court in the US.
(Swipe right to view all images.)
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: X /Screenshot)
Team WebQoof found that all the images were generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
On passing these images through detection tools, we found that the results indicated that all of them were AI-generated. Some of the images also carried common discrepancies that are seen in AI images.
We did not come across any credible news reports that published these images.
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.)
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