#FactCheck! Viral Image Claiming Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma Visited Kedarnath Is AI-Generated

Executive Summary:

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A video circulating on social media falsely claims to show Indian Air Chief Marshal AP Singh admitting that India lost six jets and a Heron drone during Operation Sindoor in May 2025. It has been  revealed that the footage had been digitally manipulated by inserting an AI generated voice clone of Air Chief Marshal Singh into his recent speech, which was streamed live on August 9, 2025.

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Claim:

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A viral video  (archived video) (another link) shared by an X user stating in the caption “  Breaking: Finally Indian Airforce Chief admits India did lose 6 Jets and one Heron UAV during May 7th Air engagements.”  which is actually showing the Air Chief Marshal has admitted the aforementioned loss during Operation Sindoor.

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Fact Check:

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By conducting a reverse image search on key frames from the video, we found a clip which was posted by ANI Official X handle , after watching the full clip we didn't find any mention of the aforementioned alleged claim. 

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On further research we found an extended version of the video in the Official YouTube Channel of ANI which was published on 9th August 2025. At the 16th Air Chief Marshal L.M. Katre Memorial Lecture in Marathahalli, Bengaluru, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh did not mention any loss of six jets or a drone in relation to the conflict with Pakistan. The discrepancies observed in the viral clip suggest that portions of the audio may have been digitally manipulated.

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The audio in the viral video, particularly the segment at the 29:05 minute mark alleging the loss of six Indian jets, appeared to be manipulated and displayed noticeable inconsistencies in tone and clarity.

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Conclusion:

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The viral video claiming that Air Chief Marshal AP Singh admitted to the loss of six jets and a Heron UAV during Operation Sindoor is misleading. A reverse image search traced the footage that no such remarks were made. Further an extended version on ANI’s official YouTube channel confirmed that, during the 16th Air Chief Marshal L.M. Katre Memorial Lecture, no reference was made to the alleged losses. Additionally, the viral video’s audio, particularly around the 29:05 mark, showed signs of manipulation with noticeable inconsistencies in tone and clarity.

• Claim: Viral Video Claiming IAF Chief Acknowledged Loss of Jets Found Manipulated
• Claimed On: Social Media
• Fact Check: False and Misleading

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Introduction

Significantly, in March 2023, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002's regulations placed Virtual Digital Asset Service Providers functioning located under the purview of the Anti Money Laundering/Counter Financing of Terrorism (AML-CFT) scheme. An important step toward controlling VDA SP operations and guaranteeing adherence to Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML-CFT) regulations.

The significance of AML-CFT procedures

The AML-CFT framework's incorporation of Virtual Digital Asset Service Providers (VDA SPs) is essential for protecting the banking industry from illegal activities including the laundering of funds and counter-financing of terrorist attacks. These regulations become more crucial as the market for digital assets develops and becomes more well-known.

The practice of money laundering is hiding the source of the sum received illegally, thus it's critical to have strict policies in place to track down and stop these kinds of operations. Furthermore, funding for terrorism is a serious danger to international safety, hence stopping the flow of money to terrorist companies is a top concern for global officials.

The goal of policymakers' move to include VDA SPs in the AML-CFT architecture is to set up control and surveillance procedures that will guarantee these organisations' open and honest operations. This involves tracking transactions, flagging questionable activity, and conducting extensive customer investigations. Incorporating such procedures not only reduces the potential for financial crimes but also builds confidence and trust in the electronic asset market.

It is important to see the significance of AML-CFT procedures and the changes in the legal framework to reflect the evolving characteristics of digital currencies. These procedures are essential to preserving the reliability and safety of the wider banking system.

Notifications of Compliance Show Cause

Under Section 13 of the PMLA Act 2002, FIU IND sent adherence Show Cause Notices to nine offshore Virtual Digital Asset Service Providers (VDA SPs) as part of its dedication to upholding compliance with regulations. This affirmative step requires organisations to be scrutinised and attempted to bring them under inspection.

Governmental Response

The Director of FIU IND has addressed the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to take further measures due to the disregard of offshore firms. According to the notification, URLs connected to these organisations that operate in India in violation of the PML Act's requirements must be blocked. 

Mandatory Registration for VDA SPs

Virtual Digital Asset Service Providers (both onshore and offshore) who perform a range of operations, including the trading of digital goods for monetary currencies, the distribution of digital currency, and the management or preservation of electronic assets, are now obliged to register with FIU.

Range of Statutory Responsibilities

In accordance with the PML Act, VDA SPs are subject to several requirements, including documentation, disclosure, and other duties. One of their responsibilities is to register with the FIU IND. The primary focus is on guaranteeing that VDA SPs comply with AML-CFT protocols, hence enhancing the general reliability of the banking industry.

Difficulties with Offshore Compliance

There are many obstacles in guaranteeing that offshore organisations comply with Anti Money Laundering/Counter Financing of Terrorism (AML-CFT), chief amongst them being their unwillingness to undergo registration. Some overseas Virtual Digital Asset Service Providers (VDA SPs) have been reluctant to comply with the existing rules and regulations, even though they cater to a significant number of Indian users. There are several reasons for this hesitation, such as worries about heightened monitoring, the expense of compliance, and the apparent complexity of governmental processes. Regulatory organisations have taken steps to close the discrepancy between offshore businesses' real activities and the regulations they must follow. In addition to maintaining the trustworthiness of the economic system, resolving the issues with offshore adherence is essential for promoting confidence and openness in the market for electronic assets.

Conclusion

FIU IND has demonstrated its dedication to creating an effective regulatory framework for Virtual Digital Asset Service Providers through its recent measures. India hopes to fortify its countermeasures against money laundering and safeguard the financial well-being of its users by expanding the AML-CFT legislation to offshore firms. The continuous efforts to restrict the URLs of non-compliant companies show a proactive approach to stopping illicit activity and fostering a safe and law-abiding virtual asset ecosystem. The safety and soundness of the banking sector will be crucially maintained by laws and regulations as the digital world develops.

References

• https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1991372
• https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/books/reviews/business-economy/fiu-ind-issues-compliance-showcause-notices-to-nine-offshore-vda-sps/article67684613.ece
• https://business.outlookindia.com/news/fiu-issues-notice-to-9-offshore-crypto-platforms-writes-to-meity-for-blocking-of-urls

Introduction

With the rise of AI deepfakes and manipulated media, it has become difficult for the average internet user to know what they can trust online. Synthetic media can have serious consequences, from virally spreading election disinformation or medical misinformation to serious consequences like revenge porn and financial fraud. Recently, a Pune man lost ₹43 lakh when he invested money based on a deepfake video of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy. In another case, that of Babydoll Archi, a woman from Assam had her likeness deepfaked by an ex-boyfriend to create revenge porn.

Image or video manipulation used to leave observable traces. Online sources may advise examining the edges of objects in the image, checking for inconsistent patterns, lighting differences, observing the lip movements of the speaker in a video or counting the number of fingers on a person’s hand. Unfortunately, as the technology improves, such folk advice might not always help users identify synthetic and manipulated media.

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The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA)

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One interesting project in the area of trust-building under these circumstances has been the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA). Started in 2019 by Adobe and Microsoft, C2PA is a collaboration between major players in AI, social media, journalism, and photography, among others. It set out to create a standard for publishers of digital media to prove the authenticity of digital media and track changes as they occur.

When photos and videos are captured, they generally store metadata like the date and time of capture, the location, the device it was taken on, etc. C2PA developed a standard for sharing and checking the validity of this metadata, and adding additional layers of metadata whenever a new user makes any edits. This creates a digital record of any and all changes made. Additionally, the original media is bundled with this metadata. This makes it easy to verify the source of the image and check if the edits change the meaning or impact of the media. This standard allows different validation software, content publishers and content creation tools to be interoperable in terms of maintaining and displaying proof of authenticity.

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The standard is intended to be used on an opt-in basis and can be likened to a nutrition label for digital media. Importantly, it does not limit the creativity of fledgling photo editors or generative AI enthusiasts; it simply provides consumers with more information about the media they come across.

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Could C2PA be Useful in an Indian Context?

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The World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2024, identifies India as a significant hotspot for misinformation. The recent AI Regulation report by MeitY indicates an interest in tools for watermarking AI-based synthetic content for ease of detecting and tracking harmful outcomes. Perhaps C2PA can be useful in this regard as it takes a holistic approach to tracking media manipulation, even in cases where AI is not the medium.

Currently, 26 India-based organisations like the Times of India or Truefy AI have signed up to the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), a community that contributes to the development and adoption of tools and standards like C2PA. However, people are increasingly using social media sites like WhatsApp and Instagram as sources of information, both of which are owned by Meta and have not yet implemented the standard in their products.

India also has low digital literacy rates and low resistance to misinformation. Part of the challenge would be showing people how to read this nutrition label, to empower people to make better decisions online. As such, C2PA is just one part of an online trust-building strategy. It is crucial that education around digital literacy and policy around organisational adoption of the standard are also part of the strategy.

The standard is also not foolproof. Current iterations may still struggle when presented with screenshots of digital media and other non-technical digital manipulation. Linking media to their creator may also put journalists and whistleblowers at risk. Actual use in context will show us more about how to improve future versions of digital provenance tools, though these improvements are not guarantees of a safer internet.

The largest advantage of C2PA adoption would be the democratisation of fact-checking infrastructure. Since media is shared at a significantly faster rate than it can be verified by professionals, putting the verification tools in the hands of people makes the process a lot more scalable. It empowers citizen journalists and leaves a public trail for any media consumer to look into.

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Conclusion

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From basic colour filters to make a scene more engaging, to removing a crowd from a social media post, to editing together videos of a politician to make it sound like they are singing a song, we are so accustomed to seeing the media we consume be altered in some way. The C2PA is just one way to bring transparency to how media is altered. It is not a one-stop solution, but it is a viable starting point for creating a fairer and democratic internet and increasing trust online. While there are risks to its adoption, it is promising to see that organisations across different sectors are collaborating on this project to be more transparent about the media we consume.

References

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• https://c2pa.org/
• https://contentauthenticity.org/
• https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/kate-middleton-9-signs-edited-photo-9211799/  
• https://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/fakes-frauds-and-forgeries-how-to-detect-image-manipulation--cms-22230
• https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/detect-fakes/overview/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO0WvudbO04&pp=0gcJCbAJAYcqIYzv
• https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2024.pdf
• https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/ai-law-may-not-prescribe-penal-consequences-for-violations-9457780/
• https://thesecretariat.in/article/meity-s-ai-regulation-report-ambitious-but-no-concrete-solutions
• https://www.ndtv.com/lifestyle/assam-what-babydoll-archi-viral-fame-says-about-india-porn-problem-8878689
• https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2024/02/9f6e99572739a3024c9cdaec53a0a0ef.pdf

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