PIB Fact Check dismisses viral claim about IAF helicopter capture in Manipur

New Delhi [India], February 18 (ANI): The Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Wednesday dismissed as "fake" a viral social media claim alleging that so-called "Manipur freedom fighters" had captured an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter from an air base in Manipur and that IAF personnel had fled the area out of fear.
The claim, which circulated widely across platforms including X, alleged that an IAF helicopter had been seized from an IAF base in the violence-hit state and that security personnel had abandoned their positions.
The unverified posts attempted to portray a breakdown of security infrastructure and suggested that armed groups had taken control of military assets - a claim that has now been categorically rejected by authorities.
Fact-checking the viral content, the PIB issued a clarification on X, stating that no such incident had taken place.
PIB posted on X: "Claim: Social media posts claiming that Manipur freedom fighters have reportedly captured an Indian Air Force helicopter from an IAF base in Manipur, and that IAF personnel have fled the area out of fear. #PIBFactCheck: This claim is #fake. No such incident has occurred."
The Press Information Bureau's Fact Check unit has recently intensified efforts to debunk false and misleading claims related to defence matters, countering misinformation with verified and official inputs.
Earlier, on October 31, last year, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check unit identified a digitally altered video circulating on social media through Pakistani propaganda accounts, falsely attributing statements to Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh, the Commander of the South Western Army.
The fake video claims that Lt Gen Singh criticised the Indian Army's exercises as "political optics to boost the image for the Bihar elections."
The PIB Fact Check unit clarified that the video is fake and AI-generated, and that Lt Gen Manjinder Singh has not made any such claim.
In the original video, Lt Gen Singh is heard discussing the Indian Army's preparedness and training, emphasising the importance of night training and technological advancements.
In the original video, recorded in Bikaner, Rajasthan, Lt Gen Singh can be heard saying, "The Indian Army is following the political direction of the 'New Normal', under which any terror act on the country will be considered an 'act of war'. The military has to prepare for any such activities. A lot of technologies and capabilities have been introduced for this. Our focus is on maximum night training; hence, we are carrying out 70% of the training at night and 30% during the day."
PIB further added that Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh has not made any such statement and that the AI-generated fake video is being circulated to mislead people and create distrust against the Indian Armed Forces. (ANI)