text:
This purported Google Pay website alluring cash rewards up to 1999 is fraudulent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 15, 2022
A link of a purported ‘Google Pay’ website is being shared on social media claiming that Google Pay was offering rewards up to 1999 upon scratching a reward card displayed on this website. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A purported website of Google Pay alluring cash rewards up to 1999 rupees.
Fact: The website link shared in the post is a fraudulent one. After scratching the reward card, when you click the blue button provided on this website, it will direct you to the Google Pay application on your mobile and ask you to pay the reward amount to an unknown bank account. Google Pay or any other digital wallets will not ask their customers to pay money or enter a UPI pin for accepting money or receiving cash rewards. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
This purported online website link shared by multiple users on social media is not the official website link of ‘Google Pay’. Google Pay did not announce any such rewards on its official website. Google Pay is a digital wallet and online payment platform that enables users to make in-person contactless payments using mobile phones, in-store, and on supported websites, tablets and watches. The UPI transactions on Google Pay are completely online. Google Pay does not ask their customers to collect cash rewards physically in their banks.
Upon scratching the reward card displayed on this purported ‘Google Pay’ website, we could see a reward amount revealed inside this scratch card. After scratching the reward card, when you click the ‘CLAIM YOUR REWARD IN BANK’ button provided on this website, it will direct you to the ‘Google Pay’ application on your mobile and ask you to pay the same reward money displayed in the scratch card to an unknown bank account.
Google Pay or any other digital wallets will not ask their customers to pay money or enter a UPI pin for accepting money or for receiving cash rewards. Describing the scam of these purported websites of Google Pay, a few bloggers published videos on their Facebook pages in 2020. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the purported Google Pay website alluring rewards up to 1999 is a fraudulent one. Also, ‘Google Pay’ official Twitter handle has also responded to a few tweets that described these fraudulent websites.
Thanks for reaching out! Here's something that might help if you’re a possible victim of fraud ➡ https://t.co/hpMISRuwat. Appreciate it. – Saira
To sum it up, this purported Google Pay website link alluring cash rewards up to 1999 is a fraudulent one.


text:
This purported ‘HAP’ website conducting an online survey for gifting 6000 rupees is a fraudulent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 22, 2021
A purported online website of ‘Hatsun Agro Product Limited (HAP)’ is conducting an online survey claiming that ‘HAP’ has offered 6,000 rupees on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary. Let us fact-check this claim.
Claim: ‘HAP’ is conducting an online survey to gift 6,000 rupees on its 50 Anniversary.
Fact: This website conducting an online survey with the name of ‘HAP’ is a fraudulent one. According to a Public Notice in the official website of ‘HAP’, the claim of an online survey to gift 6000 rupees on its 50 Anniversary is a misleading false message. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether ‘HAP’ has conducted any such survey to gift 6,000 rupees, we could not find details of any such survey on the official website of ‘HAP’. We found a Public Notice on its official website saying that the claim of an online survey to gift 6,000 rupees is a misleading false message. “The Public are hereby cautioned not to believe in the said message and not to fall prey to such misleading messages and social media activities in the name of our company.” The notice also says that the miscreants’ usage of the name, trademark, domain name, and logo of the company was unauthorised.
When we searched for the details of the online website that is conducting an online survey for gifting 6,000 rupees, we found the details of that website on the Whois.com website. This online website with the domain name ‘leadera.top’ was registered in May 2021. This website has nothing to do with ‘HAP’. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the purported website conducting this survey in the name of ‘HAP’ is a fraudulent one.
To sum it up, this purported ‘HAP’ website conducting an online survey for gifting 6000 rupees is a fraudulent one.

source: news-factly

created: September 22, 2021

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


text:
This purported ‘India Today’ article recommending Cardioton medication for treating hypertension is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 9, 2023
A post sharing a link to a purported article published by ‘India Today’ claims that the Cardioton medicine allegedly developed by the AIIMS could clean blood vessels and cure High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) in patients. The purported article reports that 93-year-old Indian Chemist Ramchandra Bhargava Sapre, during an interview with Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today, revealed how he cured hypertension using Cardioton medicine. In the article, the chemist asserts weakening of blood vessels, bad cholesterol, blood clots, and calcium deposits as the primary causes of Hypertension and recommends people practice a 2-weeks or one-month course of Cardioton treatment to cure hypertension. The article claims that AIIMS will distribute and sell Cardiaton medicines directly and provides a digital lottery rotating system at the end of the article by asking users to rotate the lottery draw to avail of the Cardiaton medications at discounted prices. Let’s verify the claims made in the post.
Claim: India Today’s article on Cardioton medication in treating hypertension.
Fact: The purported India Today article shared in the post is a fake one. Late Ramchandra Bhargava Sapre is the first national Chess Champion of India and the man in the photos shared in the article was educationist Dr Jagdish Gandhi. A few medications prescribed for high blood pressure patients control hypertension by relaxing or widening blood vessels. Cardioton is a dietary supplement which claims to improve cardiovascular strength and control blood pressure. Many detox products and medications claim to cleanse blood vessels, but there is limited or insufficient scientific evidence to support these assertions. While keeping blood vessels clear of plaque and maintaining good circulation can contribute to cardiovascular well-being, it’s not guaranteed to solely reduce hypertension. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether India Today had published any such article reporting Cardioton’s benefits in treating hypertension, we could not find any such news report on the official website or social media handles of the India Today. The URL of the article does not belong to India Today.
When we searched for further sources, we found that the photos shared in the article show Dr Jagdish Gandhi, an educationist and former member of the legislative assembly of Uttar Pradesh. Ramchandra Bhargava Sapre was the first national Chess Champion of India who passed away in 1999.
Hypertension, Causes and Treatment
Blood Pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of arteries that carry blood from the heart to other parts of the human body. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal blood pressure level (normal blood pressure is usually less than 120/80 mmHg). High blood pressure usually develops over time because of an unhealthy lifestyle, being overweight, heavy stress, not getting enough regular physical activity and others. Certain health conditions, such as diabetes, kidney diseases, and obesity can also cause high blood pressure.
People with high blood pressure are usually recommended to make lifestyle changes to lower their blood pressure. Patients are suggested to avoid smoking, manage stress, eat healthy food, keep a healthy weight, and have enough physical activity. More details about the management and prevention of High Blood Pressure can be seen here and here. Apart from lifestyle changes, doctors recommend patients use different medicines to control high blood pressure. These medications include ACE inhibitors, Calcium channel blockers, diuretics, and others.
The Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduce blood pressure levels by relaxing blood vessels while the Calcium channel blockers reduce blood pressure by widening blood vessels. The human body has an in-built mechanism to control blood pressure levels by narrowing (constricting) and widening (dilating) the diameter of arteries. These mechanisms are reportedly controlled by the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system.
Cardioton
Cardioton is a medication belonging to the group of cardiovascular drugs. There are multiple brands in the market using a similar name of Cardioton but offering different ingredients in their products. Cardioton products are herbal dietary supplements claimed to improve energy levels, cardiovascular strength, and blood pressure levels. A caution provided on one of the Cardioton products states, “People with cgl medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension, etc should consult the doctor before taking this dietary supplement.” Further, the description states that the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
While the product claims to improve cardiovascular strength and control blood pressure, these products are abundantly available for sale on many e-commerce sites. These Cardioton products are not developed and sold by AIIMS.
Many detox products and medications claim to cleanse blood vessels, but there is limited or insufficient scientific evidence to support these assertions. While keeping blood vessels clear of plaque and maintaining good circulation can contribute to cardiovascular well-being, it’s not guaranteed to solely reduce hypertension.
To sum it up, this purported ‘India Today’ article recommending Cardioton medication in treating hypertension is fake.

created: November 9, 2023


text:
This purported IndiaTV infographic predicting AAP’s victory in Gujarat assembly elections is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 17, 2022
A purported infographic showing the ‘India TV’ election survey results for the upcoming Gujarat  assembly elections is being widely shared on social media. According to the post, AAP could win 98 out of 182 seats. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image showing results of opinion polls by India TV for upcoming 2022 Gujarat assembly elections which predicts AAP could win 98 out of 182 seats.
Fact: According to the results of “Desh ki Awaz” survey conducted by IndiaTV in July 2022, if elections were held at that time, BJP would get 108 seats, 55 for Congress, 16 for AAP and 03 for others. The viral image carrying IndiaTV’s logo is fabricated. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We searched the internet with relevant keywords and found a YouTube video uploaded by ‘IndiaTV’ on 30 July 2022. This video reveals “Desh ki Awaaz” survey results for the state of Gujarat. We did not find any other survey results around Gujarat elections published by IndiaTV after this.
According to this survey, if elections were conducted then (30 July 2022) for Gujarat assembly, the results could be as follows:
Also, according to the ABP News C-Voter Survey for Gujarat, BJP is likely to get 135-143 seats, whereas AAP could only get 0-2 seats. Even in 2017 election survey, IndiaTV  predicted BJP to win the majority seats in Gujarat state.
To sum it up, this purported IndiaTV’s infographic predicting the victory for AAP in upcoming Gujarat elections is a fake one.

created: October 17, 2022


text:
This purported KFC promotional message offering free coupons as part of its anniversary celebrations is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 27, 2022
A Facebook page named ‘KFC Fans’ shared a post claiming that KFC is offering free coupons worth three chicken buckets as part of the 71 anniversary celebrations of KFC. This post states that KFC will send these coupons to the persons who share and type “Ready” below the post before 4 pm on 26 September 2022. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: As part of the 71 anniversary celebrations, KFC is offering free coupons worth of three buckets of chicken.
Fact: This promotional post shared by a KFC non-affiliated Facebook page is a fraudulent one. KFC is not offering any such coupons or vouchers as part of their anniversary celebrations. KFC through social media and their official websites warned people of the fraudulent promotional messages circulated in the name of KFC. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether KFC had recently announced any such free coupons as part of their anniversary celebrations, we could not find any such free coupon promotions on any of the official social media handles or the official website of KFC.  A photo shared in the post shows a KFC restaurant in Russia’s St Petersburg and other images shared in the post are used as representative images of KFC.
On searching for further details using keywords, we found that similar promotional messages in the name of KFC are being widely shared in Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries. They can be seen here and here. KFC’s non-affiliated Facebook pages named ‘KFC Fans’ and ‘KFC Malaysia’ shared these messages asking social media users to reply ‘Love KFC’ in the comment section for getting the coupons.
KFC through their social media handles and their official website warned people to be wary of these non-affiliated promotions. Alerting people about similar promotional messages posted by a KFC non-affiliated page ‘KFC Malaysia’, KFC on their website stated, “We wish to alert our customers that there is a page, imposing as KFC Malaysia, promoting “contests” and chicken giveaways. This page is not associated with KFC Malaysia in any form. Customers are advised not to respond to the promotion and share any personal information to these sites”.
KFC busted a similar fake promotion offering three free meals as part of the KFC’s 68 anniversary celebrations in 2020.
While speaking about these purported KFC promotional messages, KFC authorities in Indonesia clarified to AFP fact-check that these promotional messages are fraudulent and are not issued by KFC. Also, the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise was started in 1952 near Salt Lake City in Utah. So, 2022 will make the company’s 70th anniversary, not its 71 anniversary as claimed in the post.
To sum it up, this purported KFC promotional message offering free coupons as part of its anniversary celebrations is fake.

created: September 27, 2022


text:
This purported letter of Amit Shah recommending ‘Z’ category security to Nupur Sharma is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 15, 2022
An image of a purported letter issued by Home Minister Amit Shah is being shared on social media claiming that Amit Shah had directed Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to provide ‘Z’ category security to the former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The purported letter stated Nupur Sharma as an icon promoting Rashtriya Swayamsevak ideology that will lead to the BJP’s goal of Hindu Rashtra. In the wake of the Government calling BJP’s spokesperson Nupur Sharma a fringe element over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammed, this post claims that the Home Minister had recommended ‘Z’ category security to Nupur Sharma although he and his government consider her as a fringe element. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Purported letter of Amit Shah directing Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to provide ‘Z’ category security to Nupur Sharma.
Fact: The letter shared in the post is a fake one. Amit Shah did not send any such letter to Pushkar Singh Dhami recommending a ‘Z’ category security to Nupur Sharma. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether Home Minister had sent any such letter to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, we could not find any such letter on the Ministry of Home Affairs website and on Amit Shah’s official social media handles. Swati Goel Sharma, a journalist of the ‘Swarajya’ news website had tweeted the image of the same letter and reported that Congress leader Nagma Morarji had tweeted a fake letter attributing it to Amit Shah.
When we searched for further sources, we found that the Press Information Bureau (PIB) had issued a clarification regarding this purported letter circulating on social media. PIB through a tweet clarified that the purported letter is fake and informed that Home Minister Amit Shah had not issued any such letter to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Reporting the facts of this letter, several news websites published articles. They can be seen here and here.
A letter is doing rounds on social media claiming to be written by Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, to CM of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami.#PIBFactCheck
▶ This letter is FAKE
▶ No such letter has been issued by @HMOIndia
▶ Do not share the letter pic.twitter.com/uHM5KGhu3j
A few original letters issued by Home Minister Amit Shah can be seen here, here and here. Amid the death and rape threats to Nupur Sharma over her comments on Prophet Muhammed, on 07 June 2022, Delhi Police granted police security for Nupur Sharma. It is nowhere reported that Nupur Sharma was provided with a ‘Z’ category  security following a recommendation from Home Minister Amit Shah.
To sum it up, this purported letter of Amit Shah recommending a ‘Z’ level security to Nupur Sharma is a fake one.


text:
This purported letter of NHAI announcing toll tax exemption to ex-servicemen and their families is a fake one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 10, 2023
A photo of a circular or notification purportedly issued by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on 17 November 2006 is being shared on social media claiming that all the defence personnel and ex-servicemen including their families are exempted from paying toll tax on producing their identity card. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a letter issued by NHAI announcing toll tax exemptions to ex-servicemen and their families.
Fact: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) issued a clarification letter in 2014 stating that the toll tax exemption under the Indian Toll (Army and Air Force) Act, 1901 is available only to the serving armed personnel and emphasized that ex-servicemen are not entitled to the toll tax exemption. A communiqué issued by NHAI in 2008 reportedly stated  that this letter dated 17 November 2006, supposedly issued by its Delhi office, is a fake one. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether retired defence servicemen and their families were exempted from paying toll tax, we found a clarification letter issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in 2014 related to the toll exemption for army personnel. MoRTH through the letter clarified that the toll tax exemption under the Indian Toll (Army and Air Force) Act, 1901 is available only to serving armed military personnel and emphasized that ex-servicemen were not entitled to the toll exemption.
Further, MoRTH said, “No exemption is available on use of personal vehicle if it is not used for discharging any official purpose and duty, even if it accompanies the said official. The exemption is available only on production of pass as specified in the Indian Toll (Army and Air Force) Rules, 1942.”
In reply to queries by ‘The Indian Express’ related to the toll tax exemption to the defence personnel, the NHAI re-emphasized under RTI that the retired defence service personnel were not entitled to the toll tax exemption.
When we searched for details related to the letter shared in the post, we found an article published in 2008 by ‘The Tribune’ news website reporting a clarification issued by the NHAI related to this purported letter announcing toll tax exemption to ex-servicemen. NHAI reportedly stated that this letter dated 17 November 2006, supposedly issued by its Delhi office, is fake.
To sum it up, this purported letter of NHAI announcing toll tax exemption to ex-servicemen and their families is a fake one.


text:
This purported letter of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) accusing individuals of cybercrimes is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 25, 2023
A purported letter of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) is being shared on social media claiming that the Cyber Crime department is sending court notices through e-mails to individuals who are accused of cybercrimes involving child pornography, paedophilia, cyber pornography and others. The purported email, which appeared to be sent by a cybercrime agency’s administrator named Rajesh Kumar, informs that they have detected cyber-infiltration from the person’s Internet Protocol (IP) address and urges them to respond to the e-mail. Further, the letter warns of serious legal action if they fail to give a response to the court order in 24 hours. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A purported letter of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) informing court notices to the individuals allegedly accused of cybercrimes.
Fact: The Press Information Bureau (PIB) through a tweet confirmed that the viral letter is fake and clarified that no such letter was issued by any organization under the Government of India. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) was issuing any such notices to the persons allegedly involved in cybercrimes, we found a tweet published by the PIB Fact Check related to the viral letter circulating on social media. PIB through the tweet confirmed that the viral letter is fake and clarified that no such letter was issued by any organization under the Government of India.
In a letter purportedly issued by Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C), several allegations are being leveled at the recipient  & a reply is being sought to the letter.#PIBFactCheck
✅This letter is fake
✅No such letter has been issued by any organization under GOI pic.twitter.com/FfWRRuy71N
Reporting the clarification issued by the PIB Fact Check related to this fake letter, several news sites published articles. A few of those articles can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, this purported letter of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) accusing individuals of cybercrimes is a fake one.


text:
This purported message of former Delhi Commissioner BS Bassi alerting people to be wary of Beggars is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 28, 2022
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming it as an awareness message recently shared by Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi regarding the organised begging and highway robbery crimes in the country. This purported message from the police warns people to be wary of beggars. Also, the post shared multiple precautionary measures to avoid being victims of such scams. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Police awareness message alerting people to be wary of beggars.
Fact: The message shared in the post is being shared on social media at least since 2015. Bhim Sain Bassi had retired as Delhi Police Chief in February 2016. He then served as a member of UPSC till February 2021. Former Police Commissioner of Delhi Bhim Sain Bassi did not release any such message warning people to be wary of beggars. Multiple versions of this message went viral on social media attributed to different State Police. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching with relevant keywords on the internet, we found that the same post is being shared on social media at least since 2015. When we searched to check whether former Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi had issued any such message warning people to be wary of beggars, we could not find any media report confirming this news. BS Bassi did not publish any such message on his official Twitter handle.
Following his retirement as Delhi Police Chief in February 2016, BS Bassi served as a member of UPSC from 2016 to 2021. In July 2016, the Delhi Crime Branch officials led an operation to crack down the ‘begging mafia’ in Delhi. After 60 days of investigation, Delhi Police confirmed to the media that Delhi does not have a mafia controlling begging operations.
Multiple versions of similar awareness messages about beggars were shared on social media, attributing them to different state officials in the country. In 2018, when a fake circular carrying an emblem similar to Kerala Police was circulated on WhatsApp warning people to keep beggars away during the month of Ramadan, Kerala Police officials issued a clarification confirming it to be a fake circular created by editing an earlier circular or statement.
To sum it up, this purported message of former Delhi Commissioner BS Bassi alerting people to be wary of beggars is a fake one.


text:
This purported message of Jaggi Vasudev explaining the impacts of Coronavirus fears is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 7, 2021
A post is being circulated on social media claiming it as a message from the ‘Isha Foundation’ head and Spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, to sustain and cure the COVID-19 virus. This purported message of Sadhguru states, “The only way to keep any kind of illness or virus or flu away is to not talk about it and it will dissipate itself. The more we talk about it, the more it becomes active in our vibration”. In the message, Sadhguru explained the negative impact of coronavirus fears on the body.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s message to sustain and cure the COVID-19 virus.
Fact: This purported message from Jaggi Vasudev is a fake one. Isha Foundation through a tweet clarified that a message about dealing with the Coronavirus fears was falsely attributed to him on social media. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for the details of the claim made in the post, we could not find any news article reporting this message from ‘Isha Foundation’ founder, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. If Sadhguru had made such a statement, several news websites would have published articles on it.
Isha Foundation through a tweet clarified that the message about dealing with the Coronavirus fears was falsely attributed to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev on social media. Isha Foundation informed people that the message and quotes within these posts are not from him.
Namaskaram,
Please note that a message wrongly attributed to Sadhguru about dealing with Coronavirus fears has been spread on social media. This message and any quotes within it are not from Sadhguru. Please do not forward it.  🙏 pic.twitter.com/Aj63na0FyN
On several occasions, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev asked people to act wisely to successfully navigate the COVID-19 situation. On the occasion of New Year 2021, Sadhguru gave a message to people that ‘Human ability to respond rather than react is the solution, not only to duck the pandemic but to create new possibilities of a more civilised and sustainable world’. In his recent interactions, Sadhguru did not specifically mention the negative impacts of panic in COVID-19 patients.
Earlier, when similar posts mentioning the impact of positive vibrations on the COVID-19 virus shared on social media, FACTLY published fact-check articles on those claims. They can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, this purported message of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev on dealing with the Coronavirus fears is a fake one.


text:
This purported message of New York Times Editor-in-Chief praising Narendra Modi is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 2, 2021
A message purportedly from ‘The New York Times’ Editor-in-Chief, Joseph Hope is being shared on social media claiming it as his observations on India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the message, JosephHope said Narendra Modi’s patriotism and leadership skills are a serious threat to the superpower nations ruling the world. Sharing his views on Narendra Modi’s foreign policies, Joseph Hope has supposedly called Narendra Modi as one of the best leaders in his message. Let’s verify the claims made in the post.
Claim: ‘The New York Times’ Editor-in-Chief Joseph Hope’s message about India’s PM Narendra Modi.
Fact: There is no editor named Joseph Hope working in ‘The New York Times’ organization. ‘The New York Times’ has not published any article praising Narendra Modi and his foreign policies. ‘The New York Times’ spokesperson Ari Isaacman Bevacqua clarified that this message was not written by the ‘The New York Times’ editor Dean Baquet. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for Joseph Hopes on ‘The New York Times’ website, we found out that there is no journalist with that name mentioned in the editorial board members list. ‘The New York Times’ did not publish any article praising Narendra Modi as one of the best leaders in the world. In the wake of India-China conflicts in 2020, ‘The New York Times’ published an article on 03 October 2020. In the article, they mentioned India’s foreign policies with the US, Japan, and Australia to counter the Chinese government. In this article, ‘The New York Times’ reported Narendra Modi as a Hindu Nationalist who has been criticized globally for actions that deprived the Muslims living in India.
For clarification regarding this message, FACTLY reached out to ‘The New York Times’ through email. ‘The New York Times’ spokesperson Ari Isaacman Bevacqua responded to our mail request. Bevacqua clarified that there is no editor with the name Joseph Hope is working in their organization. In her mail, she clarified that the editor of The New York Times is Dean Baquet and he has not said or written the message shared in the post. Bevacqua mentioned The New York Times as an independent newsroom that relies on original reporting from more than 1700 journalists.
We found an author with the name Joseph Hope on ‘Asia Times’ news website. Joseph Hope has not commented on India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his foreign policies in any of his articles. From all these pieces of evidence, it is confirmed that the message shared in the post is fake.
To sum it up, this purported message of The New York Times Editor-in-Chief praising Narendra Modi is fake.

created: February 2, 2021


text:
This purported ‘M&S’ promotional message offering golden ticket giveaways as part of Christmas celebrations is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 10, 2022
A Facebook page named ‘Marks and Spencer Fans’ shared a post claiming that the Marks and Spencer (M&S) company announced golden ticket giveaways on the occasion of the Christmas. Sharing it as a message from M&S Chief Marketing Officer, Sarah Louise, this post claims that M&S announced golden ticket envelopes to the first 500 people who shared this message in two active groups in the next 24 hours. This post shared a collage of images showing people holding golden ticket envelopes rewarded by M&S Food. According to the post, each rewarded golden ticket envelope will offer a discount of £500 at all M&S shopping stores. Also, a caution note is provided below the post alerting people about impersonators who provide dodgy links and allure fake prizes on the internet. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Marks and Spencer (M&S) announced golden ticket giveaways on the occasion of the Christmas.
Fact: Sharry Cramond is the Chief Marketing Officer of M&S Food, and she did not announce any such ‘Golden Ticket Christmas Giveaway’ recently on any of her social media handles or on the M&S social media handles. There is no Marketing Officer with the name Sarah Louise working at M&S. In 2020, when another fan page of M&S posted similar golden ticket giveaways quoting it as a message from the Manager of M&S, M&S clarified it as a scam. M&S Food did offer golden ticket giveaways to customers in the past during the launch of their new stores in the UK. But lately, they did not announce any such golden ticket giveaways as part of the Christmas celebrations. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether the Marks and Spencer (M&S) company had announced any such golden ticket giveaways on the occasion of the Christmas, we could not find any such announcements on the official website or on the social media handles of M&S. On observing the photos carefully, one could see the text ‘M&S Food’ on all of the golden ticket envelopes shown in these pictures. In one of these pictures, the text on a golden ticket states, “We’re delighted to welcome you to our M&S NEWARK MALTINGS.” And in another picture, it was stated that the golden ticket was valid till 04 October 2018. So, it can be concluded that the pictures show old golden ticket envelopes issued by M&S Food.
When we searched for further details, we found that the present Marketing Director of M&S Food is Sharry Cramond. Lately, Sharry Cramond did not announce any such Golden Ticket Christmas Giveaway on any of her social media handles. In the latest press release issued related to the Christmas Food Advertisement and the 2022 campaign for Christmas shopping, M&S did not announce any such golden ticket giveaways as part of the Christmas celebrations. These press releases can be seen here and here. No Marketing officer by the name of Sarah Louise is working at the M&S company.
In 2020, when a fan page Facebook account of M&S posted similar golden ticket giveaways while quoting it as a message from the Manager of M&S, M&S through a tweet clarified it as a scam message. Several scam alert pages alerted about these fraudulent posts alluring golden ticket giveaways. Even many users in the comment section of the post said that the message is a scam.
Hi Jonathan –  we are aware of this and yes, it is a scam unfortunately. We have let the right team know about it and necessary action will be taken. Thanks for reaching out to us! Mike.
The Marks and Spencer (M&S) company offered golden ticket giveaways to the first 200 customers during the launch of their M&S Foodhall stores at Abbey Centre, Archway and other stores in the UK. News articles that reported on these golden ticket giveaways issued by M&S Food can be seen here, here and here. But lately, M&S company did not announce any such golden ticket giveaways as part of the Christmas celebrations.
To sum it up, this purported ‘M&S’ promotional message offering golden ticket giveaways as part of Christmas celebrations is fake.

created: November 10, 2022


text:
This purported newspaper clipping reporting BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri’s controversial remarks against residents of Delhi from UP & Bihar is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 28, 2023
A screenshot of a Hindi newspaper clipping attributing controversial remarks against residents of Delhi from UP & Bihar to BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri is being circulated on social media. The news article reports Ramesh Bidhuri making provocative statements inciting the people of Delhi to drive away the people of UP and Bihar from Delhi. The purported statement attributed to Ramesh Bidhuri states- “There is only one treatment for the people of UP and Bihar, make them work and then thrash them and drive them away from here” (when translated from Hindi to English). In the wake of Ramesh Bidhuri’s recent offensive statements against BSP Muslim MP Danish Ali in the parliament, this news clipping is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A newspaper clipping reporting Ramesh Bidhuri’s statements against residents of Delhi from UP & Bihar.
Fact: The news clipping shared in the post had been circulating on social media at least since 2018. Ramesh Bidhuri issued a public statement in 2018 denying making any such controversial statements against residents of Delhi from UP & Bihar.  BJP Delhi too issued a statement confirming that the news clipping was fake and had no connection with BJP or any of its leaders. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched the internet for the details of the news clipping using relevant keywords, we found that the news clipping had been circulating on social media at least since 2018. Bihar’s Madhepura ex-MP Pappu Yadav and many other prominent leaders from RJD and AAP reportedly shared the same news clipping screenshot in 2018. However, we could not find any official news reports attributing such controversial remarks to Ramesh Bidhuri.
Reacting to the viral news clipping, on 13 October 2018, Ramesh Bidhuri issued a public statement on his Facebook and X accounts confirming it was fake news. Ramesh Bidhuri denied making any such controversial statements against the residents of Delhi from UP & Bihar. Ramesh Bidhuri called it a well-planned conspiracy by those who want to divide society in the greed for power.
सत्ता की लोलूपता में लोग कितना गिर सकते हैं , अभी मुझे जानकारी मिली कि सोशल मीडिया पर मेरे नाम से यूपी,बिहार निवासियों के लिए बयान दिया बताया जबकि ना किसी अखबार का नाम दिया गया और ना छापने वाले का, ऐसा 25 जून को भी अखबार की फ़र्ज़ी कटिंग को आप के प्रवक्ता ने चलाया था परिणाम(1/3) pic.twitter.com/nBpNTmlm46
BJP Delhi’s official Twitter handle also confirmed that the viral news clipping was fake and said it had no connection with BJP or any of its leaders. Several news sites published articles clarifying that the viral newspaper clipping was fake. They can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, this purported newspaper clipping attributing controversial remarks against residents of Delhi from UP & Bihar to BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri is fake.

created: September 28, 2023


text:
This purported notice of IIT Roorkee asking their students to refrain from masturbating is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 11, 2023
A purported public notice of IIT Roorkee asking their students to refrain from masturbating in the showers is being widely circulating on social media. Stating masturbation in the showers as a violation of the hostel code of conduct at IIT Roorkee, the public notice states-“The excessive amount of semen in the drain costs thousands of rupees in maintenance and must be reflected in the hostel prices increase for next year.” This public notice purportedly issued by the Rajendra Bhavan hostel in IIT Roorkee urges students to masturbate inside their rooms instead of in the showers. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A purported public notice of IIT Roorkee prohibiting their students from masturbating at the showers.
Fact: IIT Roorkee did not issue any such notice asking their students to refrain from masturbating. IIT Roorkee officials confirmed to the media that the viral notice was fake and emphasized that no hostel warden at IIT Roorkee issued such a notice. Several news sites published articles confirming it was a fake notice. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On observing the notification carefully, one could see many grammatical errors in the letter. Furthermore, one could spot a misrepresentation of the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee as “Indian Institute of Roorkee” in the letter.  IIT Roorkee’s Rajendra Bhavan hostel did not issue any such circular on its website. The proposed public notice has been circulating on social media at least since September 2019.
The Free Press Journal published an article related to this public notice and confirmed it was a fake one. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, the Rajendra Bhawan Hostel warden confirmed that the viral notice is a hoax and emphasized that no hostel warden at IIT Roorkee issued such a notice.
Several news sites published articles reporting the viral public notice was a fake one. A few of those articles can be seen here and here. Earlier, similar fake notices were shared with the names of Manipal University and the University of Miami. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the viral public notice shared in the post is fake and was not issued by the IIT Roorkee.
We contacted the IIT Roorkee media cell for clarification regarding this viral public notice circulating on social media. Responding to our e-mail, Sonika Srivastava, an official from IIT Roorkee’s media cell, clarified that IIT Roorkee had not issued any such notice to its students and  said that the viral public notice attributed to IIT Roorkee is entirely false and fabricated.
To sum it up, this purported notice of IIT Roorkee asking their students to refrain from masturbating in the showers is fake.
Update (12 September 2023): This article has been updated to include the clarification from the IIT Roorkee media cell

created: September 11, 2023


text:
This purported notification of the Indian Nursing Council giving ‘Nursing Officer’ status to B.Sc nursing candidates is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 8, 2023
A photo of a notification purportedly issued by the Indian Nursing Council is being shared on social media claiming that the Indian Nursing Council announced giving ‘Nursing Officer’ status to all B.Sc nursing candidates. The post claims that Indian Nursing Council in a notification proposed equal status for B.Sc nursing candidates, considering them as nursing officers equivalent to MBBS and Junior Doctors. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Indian Nursing Council recently issued a notification giving ‘Nursing Officer’ status to all B.Sc nursing candidates.
Fact: The Indian Nursing Council did not issue any such notification proposing ‘Nursing Officer’ status, equivalent to MBBS and junior doctors, to B.Sc nursing candidates. PIB through a tweet clarified it is a fake notification and said that Indian Nursing Council did not issue any such status to B.Sc nursing candidates. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether the Indian Nursing Council had issued any such notification giving ‘Nursing Officer’ status, equivalent to MBBS and junior doctors, to B.Sc nursing candidates, we could not find any such notification on the official website of the Indian Nursing Council.
In March 2017, the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a circular changing the nomenclature of nursing staff in CGHS. The circular stated that all Staff Nurses under the CGHS should be addressed as ‘Nursing Officers’, and that Nursing Sisters under CGHS should be addressed as ‘Senior Nursing Officer’. Further, the circular provided a note stating-“The change in nomenclature as mentioned above doesn’t involve change in duties and responsibilities and any additional financial benefits.” However, the circular was only meant for nursing staff working in CGHS, not for all B.Sc nursing candidates in the country.
When we searched for further sources, we found an article reporting that the Karnataka government had issued an order renaming nurses as nursing officers in May 2020. Honouring the services of nurses in the fight against COVID-19, on the occasion of International Nurses Day in 2020, the Karnataka government reportedly announced renaming nurses as nursing officers. However, the government order did not announce any change either in the nature of the job or other functions performed by nurses as their roles and responsibilities. Lately, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too recommended officials to see whether the post of “semi-doctor” can be introduced by promoting senior nurses with several years of experience.
Lately, PIB Fact Check published a tweet about this purported notification of the Indian Nursing Council going viral on social media. PIB through the tweet clarified that the notification is fake and said that the Indian Nursing Council did not issue any such notification giving B.Sc nursing candidates an equivalent status as that of MBBS and Junior Doctors.
Claim: A notification proposes equal status for https://t.co/gKIGXRFHYW. nursing candidates, considering them as nursing officers equivalent to MBBS and junior doctors#PIBFactCheck
▶This Notification is #Fake.
▶ Indian Nursing Council has not issued this Notification. pic.twitter.com/yADs6zLROP
To sum it up, this purported notification of the Indian Nursing Council giving ‘Nursing Officer’ status to B.Sc nursing candidates is a fake one.


text:
This purported notification of the Railway Recruitment Board announcing significant openings for loco pilot and technician roles is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 6, 2023
A screenshot of a recruitment notification purportedly issued by the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) is being shared on social media claiming that the Indian Railways has released a recruitment notification for 18,023 Assistant Loco Pilot positions and 11,029 positions in various technician roles. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Latest recruitment notification of RRB for 18,023 Assistant Loco Pilot positions and 11,029 positions in various technician roles.
Fact: The Railway Recruitment Board of the Indian Railways did not issue any such recruitment notification announcing such vacancies in Assistant Loco Pilot and technician roles. The purported notification states that the advertisement was published on 13 October 2024, thus providing further evidence that the viral notification is indeed a fake one. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether the Railway Recruitment Board of the Indian Railways had published any such recruitment notification recently on their website, we could not find any such notification on the recruitment page of the Indian Railways website.
On observing the notification carefully, one could see a statement declaring that the advertisement was published in Employment News Edition on 13 October 2024, a year ahead in the future. Several educational institutes have addressed the viral notification circulating on social media, labelling it as fraudulent. A past recruitment notification issued for Assistant Loco Pilots and technicians roles by the RRB Ahmedabad can be seen here.
We have contacted PIB Fact-Check seeking clarification on the viral RRB recruitment notification circulating on social media. We will update the article once we get a response from the PIB Fact-Check team. Earlier, PIB issued clarifications regarding similar fake recruitment notifications and appointment letters circulated in the name of RRB.
After reaching out to PIB, PIB though a tweet clarified that this advertisement about vacancies in Indian Railways is fake.
An advertisement doing the rounds on social media claims that around 29,000 vacancies are being offered for the posts of Assistant Loco Pilot and Technicians by the Indian Railways#PIBFactCheck
✔This claim is #fake
✔No such advertisement has been issued by @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/TppAffVAG3
To sum it up, this purported recruitment notification of the Railway Recruitment Board announcing vacancies for loco pilot and technician roles is fake.

created: October 6, 2023


text:
This purported post-mortem report of actress Sridevi is not genuine - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 18, 2020
A post with an image claiming to be that of actress Sridevi’s post-mortem report is doing rounds on social media. The purported report claims that Sridevi was forcefully fed with cocaine, had three injuries and her death was not natural. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Post-Mortem report of actress Sridevi claiming that she was forcefully drugged, and her death was not natural.
Fact: Dubai Media Office through a tweet confirmed that Sridevi’s death was due to getting drowned in a bathtub following loss of consciousness. Relevant documents published by the news agencies confirm the same. Further, if we take a close look at the purported document, we find many spelling and grammatical mistakes making it clear that the document is not authentic. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Google search with the keyword ‘Sridevi death UAE’ led us to a tweet by Dubai Media Office which stated that Sridevi’s death was because of getting drowned in a bathtub following loss of consciousness. There is no mention of any injuries in this reported.
Following the completion of post-mortem analysis, @DubaiPoliceHQ today stated that the death of Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment’s bathtub following loss of consciousness.
Further, our search led us to a news article that published the relevant documents related to her death. These documents also confirm that the cause of death is accidental drowning.
Our search found that the purported document is not shared by any UAE government official sources. Also, if we take a close look at the purported document, we find many spelling and grammatical mistakes making it clear that the document is not authentic. As the logo of the Ministry of Health, UAE is available for download on its official website, a document like the one in the post can be easily created using digital tools.
In the light of the events that unfolded after the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, posts related to Sridevi’s death like the ones in the post have resurfaced and are being widely shared with different misleading claims.
To sum it up, the purported post-mortem report of Sridevi is not genuine.

created: September 18, 2020


text:
This purported public notice about government announcing new regulations for the protection of Mosques and Madarsas is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 6, 2023
An image of a public notice, citing the offences said to be listed under IPC section 427 and 2/3 act of the Public Property Act 1985, is being shared on social media claiming that the Rajasthan government had amended section 427 in the Indian Penal Code and enacted new legislations to safeguard mosques and other Islamic properties within the state. According to the post, the revised laws enacted by the Rajasthan government could result in non-bailable imprisonment of up to 3 years for anyone who obstructs the construction of mosques or madarsas within the state. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of a public notice issued by the Rajasthan government regarding new legislation aimed to safeguard mosques and other Islamic properties within the state.
Fact: No such public notice announcing amendments to the IPC section 427 was issued by either the Central Government or the State Government of Rajasthan. Section 427 of the Indian Penal Code specifies a maximum penalty of two years of imprisonment, or fine, or both, for engaging in mischief and causing damage to the amount of fifty or upwards. It has nothing to do with Mosques, Temples and Churches. ‘The Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984’ contains provisions for punishment for causing damage to any public property under the Central Government or any of the State Governments. The Rajasthan Police through a tweet confirmed that the viral public notice was fake. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched for the details related to the claims made in the post, we could not find any credible source confirming that the Government of India had made amendments to the IPC section 427. The Rajasthan government too did not issue any such public notice announcing amendments to the IPC section 427. We could not find any such new regulations on the Lok Sabha’s ‘Sansad’ website. If the Indian government had issued any such new amendments to safeguard Islamic properties, several media outlets would have published articles reporting that information. But we could not find any.
IPC Section 427
Section 427 of the Indian Penal Code states– “Whoever commits mischief and thereby causes loss or damage to the amount of fifty rupees or upwards, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.” The provision has nothing to do with Mosques, Temples, and Churches.
The Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984
The Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 came into force in 1984, not in 1985 as mentioned in the post. The act contains provisions for punishment for causing damage to the public properties owned by the government. The term public property is defined in the act as any immovable or movable property which is owned by, in the possession of, or under the control of the Central Government or any State Government. Any property owned by the local authority, corporation, or company established by, or under a Central, Provisional, or State Act also comes under public property. As per the act, whoever commits mischief by doing any act leading to the damage of public property shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years and with a fine. The act talks about punishing the individuals accused of damaging public property. The law is not about safeguarding Mosques and Madarsas. Also, the individual booked under this act can apply for bail.
When the same photo went viral on social media in August 2021, Rajasthan Police through a tweet confirmed that the viral public notice was fake. Lokesh Sharma, an official working with the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, also tweeted that the viral photo was fake and requested people not to publicize the fake public notice on social media.
🚨#FakeNews Alert⚠~
कुछ समय से शरारती तत्वों द्वारा आमजन को गुमराह करने के उद्देश्य से एक मैसेज #SocialMedia पर वायरल हो रहा है जो की मिथ्या एवं भ्रामक है।
हमारा आपसे निवेदन है ऐसे किसी भी मैसेज को आगे फॉरवर्ड न करे। इस तरह के दुष्प्रचार करने पर कानूनी कार्रवाई की जा सकती है। pic.twitter.com/Qo03EW7t7t
To sum it up, this purported public notice of the government announcing new regulations aimed at protecting Mosques and Madarsas is a fake one.

created: September 6, 2023


text:
This purported public notice of the National Testing Agency (NTA) announcing the changes in the syllabus of the NEET UG 2024 is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 29, 2023
A photo of a public notice purportedly issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA) is being shared on social media claiming that NTA had modified the syllabus for the upcoming NEET (UG)-2024 examination. The purported public notice states that the National Medical Commission (NMC), after having a meeting with NTA and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, decided to reduce the syllabus for the upcoming NEET 2024 examination. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A public notice of the National Testing Agency related to the changes in the syllabus of the NEET UG 2024 examination.
Fact: The purported public notice of NTA shared in the post is fake. Neither the National Medical Commission of India (NMC) nor NTA had issued such public notice announcing modifications in the syllabus of the NEET examination. When similar messages were circulated in 2020, NTA through a public notice confirmed them as fake and alerted people not to be misled by false information and fake notices. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Upon reviewing this public notice allegedly issued by the NTA, several grammatical & spelling errors can be observed in the letter. It is highly unlikely that a premier government agency would issue a letter with such errors.
The alleged public notice states that it was published on 26 August 2023. When we searched to check whether NTA had issued any such public notice on 26 August 2023, regarding the changes in the syllabus of the NEET (UG) 2024 examination, we could not find any such public notice published on the official website of NTA. NTA as of now did not publish any notice or circular related to the NEET (UG) 2024 examination.
The National Medical Commission of India (NMC) recommends the syllabus for the NEET (UG) examination. The syllabus recommended by NMC for the NEET (UG)-2023 examination can be seen here. To rationalize the decision of reduction in the syllabus by various School Education Boards, the NTA is providing choice in Section “B” for each of the 4 subjects (Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology) in the examination pattern of NEET. The complete examination pattern of the NEET (UG) examination can be seen here.
The National Medical Commission of India too did not publish any notice or circular informing about the changes in the syllabus of NEET (UG) examination. If NMC had issued any such public notice regarding the change in syllabus of NEET (UG)-2024, several news sites would have published articles reporting that information. But not even a single news website had reported this information on the internet.
In 2020, when similar fake public notices announcing changes in the syllabus of NEET circulated on social media, NTA issued a public notice warning people not to be misled by false information and fake notices. In the clarification public notice, NTA said, “All candidates preparing for NEET 2020 are hereby informed that there is NO change in the syllabus of NEET. NTA does not decide the syllabus, it only provides a link to the syllabus. The link is provided in the Information Bulletin and reproduced again.” NTA issued several such public notices related to the fake notices attributed to NTA regarding different examinations on social media. A few of such public notices can be seen here and here.
We reached out to NTA for clarification on this viral fake public notice. As soon as we receive a response from them, this article will be updated accordingly.
To sum it up, this purported public notice of the National Testing Agency regarding the changes in the syllabus of the NEET (UG)-2024 examination is  fake.


text:
This purported quote by Khalid Mehmood Abbasi threatening to make Kashmir like Israel is false - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 10, 2023
A statement purportedly made by Pakistani Islamic preacher Khalid Mehmood Abbasi is going viral on social media. It is being claimed that he allegedly said Pakistan would do to Kashmir what Hamas has done to Israel. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Pakistani Islamic preacher Khalid Mehmood Abbasi made threatening remarks against India on Kashmir issues by drawing parallels with what Hamas has done in Israel.
Fact: No mainstream media outlet has reported on Khalid Mehmood Abbasi making such statements. Additionally, he took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to deny making such statements. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To check the veracity of the claim, we performed a keyword search on the internet to see if any mainstream media outlet reported him making such statements. This search did not yield any credible sources that backed the claim. Generally, any statement that threatens national security would be widely reported by the Indian mainstream media, which did not happen in this case.
A further search on Khalid Mehmood Abbasi’s YouTube channel and Facebook profile to see whether he made the purported statements threatening India by drawing parallels to the Hamas attack on Israel revealed that he had not made such statements after the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 (here).
Additionally, we also found a tweet made by Khalid Mehmood Abbasi. Responding to a graphic identical to the viral graphic containing this purported statement, Khalid wrote, “See the works of Indians”, implying he has not made such statements.
انڈینز یوتھیوں کے کام دیکھیں https://t.co/oT6SvDlqfk
To sum up, Khalid Mehmood Abbasi has not made these purported statements threatening India over the Kashmir issue.

created: October 10, 2023


text:
This purported ‘Ramraj Cotton’ website conducting a competition for gifting 20,000 rupees is fraudulent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 22, 2021
Few purported online websites (here, here) of ‘Ramraj Cotton’ is conducting a competition claiming that ‘Ramraj Cotton’ has offered 20,000 rupees to the winner. The post even claims that it is a Christmas gift from ‘Ramraj Cotton’. Factly received a query on its WhatsApp tip-line number (+91 9247052470) to check the authenticity of the website.
Claim: Ramraj Cotton is conducting a competition to offer 20,000 rupees as a Christmas gift.
Fact: This website conducting a competition with the name of ‘Ramraj Cotton’ is a fraudulent one. Factly had communicated with Ramraj Cotton about the website offering 20,000 rupees as a Christmas gift in the name of ‘Ramraj Cotton’; they have confirmed that it is ‘fake’. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether ‘Ramraj Cotton’ is conducting any competition to gift 20,000 rupees, we could not find details of any such competition on the official website of ‘Ramraj Cotton’ (here and here). Even the Facebook and Twitter accounts of Ramraj Cotton do not mention any competition that gifts 20,000 rupees. In one of the Facebook posts, Ramraj Cotton mentioned that Christmas can be celebrated with their Gift vouchers; but one needs to pay to get those gift vouchers and there is no competition mentioned there. According to the official website of Ramraj Cotton, Ramraj cotton-setup in 1983-is one of India’s largest Manufacturer, Supplier, and Exporter of Cotton, Silk, and Linen Shirts, and Dhotis and Inner wears for Men and Kids.
When we searched for the details of the online website that is conducting a competition for gifting 20,000 rupees, we found the details of that website on the ‘Whois.com’ website. This online website with the domain name ‘fepkpg.tw’ was registered in China. This website has nothing to do with ‘Ramraj Cotton’.
Factly had communicated with Ramraj Cotton about the website offering 20,000 rupees as a Christmas gift in the name of ‘Ramraj Cotton’; they have confirmed that it is ‘fake’. As the fake websites went viral, Ramraj Cotton has issued a clarification on their official website stating that appropriate lead action will be taken against them and urged their customers to only follow their official website (https://www.ramrajcotton.in ) for any offers,
To sum it up, this purported ‘Ramraj Cotton’ website conducting a competition for gifting 20,000 rupees is a fraudulent one.

created: December 22, 2021


text:
This purported 'Rolex' website conducting an online contest for luxury gift watches is a fraudulent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 9, 2021
A purported online website of luxury brand watch company ‘Rolex’ is conducting an online contest claiming that ‘Rolex’ has offered luxury gift watches on the occasion of its 100th-Anniversary celebrations. Factly received a query on its WhatsApp tip-line number (+91 9247052470) to check the authenticity of the website.
Claim: ‘Rolex’ is conducting an online contest to gift luxury watches on the occasion of its 100th-anniversary celebrations.
Fact: This website conducting an online survey with the name of luxury watch company ‘Rolex’ is a fraudulent one. ‘Rolex’ company was founded in 1905 and is celebrating its 116th anniversary in 2021. As of now, ‘Rolex’ had not offered any such gift watches by conducting an online contest. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether ‘Rolex’ watch company has conducted any such contest for free luxury watches, we could not find details of any such contest on the official website of ‘Rolex’. According to an article published by ‘Robb Report’ news website, the ‘Rolex’ watch company was founded by Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law in 1905. Rolex company is celebrating its 116th anniversary in 2021. Also, it can be observed that the Rolex official website is completely different from the website that is conducting this contest for free Rolex watches. If Rolex had conducted such an online contest for free luxury watches, several news websites would have published articles reporting the contest. But, we could not find any such article on the internet.
When we searched for the details of the online website that is conducting an online contest for free Rolex luxury watches, we found the details of that website in the ‘Whois.com’ website. This online website with the domain name ‘qhmwmr.vip’ was registered in July 2020. This website has nothing to do with the Geneva-based ‘Rolex’ watch company. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the purported website conducting this contest in the name of Rolex watch company is a fraudulent one.
To sum it up, this purported ‘Rolex’ website conducting an online contest for luxury gift watches is a fraudulent one.


text:
This purported ‘SBI’ website conducting an online contest for gifting 5 lakh rupees is a fraudulent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 11, 2021
A purported online website of ‘State Bank of India’ is conducting an online survey claiming that ‘SBI’ has offered 5 lakh rupees each to randomly selected 10 users and that this survey aims to improve the quality of services of its users. Factly received a query on its WhatsApp tip-line number (+91 9247052470) to check the authenticity of the website.
Claim: SBI is conducting an online survey to improve quality of services and to gift 5 lakh rupees.
Fact: This website conducting an online survey with the name of ‘SBI’ is a fraudulent one. According to the official website of SBI, it is not offering any gift of 5 lakh rupees by conducting an online contest. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether ‘SBI’ has conducted ఇన్  any such contest to gift 5 lakh rupees, we could not find details of any such contest on the official website of ‘SBI’. According to the official website of SBI, State Bank of India (SBI) a Fortune 500 company, is an Indian Multinational, Public Sector Banking and Financial services statutory body headquartered in Mumbai. It can be observed that the official ‘SBI’ website is completely different from the website that is conducting this survey for gifting 5 lakh rupees. If SBI had conducted such an online contest for gifting 5 lakh rupees, several news websites would have published articles reporting the contest. But we could not find any such article on the internet.
When we searched for the details of the online website that is conducting an online survey for gifting 5 lakh rupees, we found the details of that website in the ‘Whois.com’ website. This online website with the domain name ‘dtpzz.bar’ was registered in March 2021. This website has nothing to do with ‘SBI’. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the purported website conducting this contest in the name of ‘SBI’ is a fraudulent one.
To sum it up, this purported ‘SBI’ website conducting an online contest for gifting 5 lakh rupees is a fraudulent one.


text:
This purported statement of Arvind Kejriwal in support of Congress politician Dheeraj Sahu is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 14, 2023
A post shared on social media claims that Arvind Kejriwal, the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Chief Minister of Delhi, made a statement asserting that false accusations have been levelled against Jharkhand Congress MP Dheeraj Sahu, from whose premises Income Tax officials have recently seized hundreds of crores of rupees. The purported statement of Arvind Kejriwal, backing Dheeraj Sahu, states, “Dheeraj Sahu is being framed by false allegations, I am an educated man, I have read the Constitution of India, it is not written on any page that one cannot keep cash at home.” (when translated to English from Hindi). Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Arvind Kejriwal’s statement in support of Congress politician Dheeraj Sahu after over Rs. 351 crore in cash has been recovered in the Income Tax department’s raids.
Fact: The statement is falsely attributed to Arvind Kejriwal by a parody ‘X’ account with the name AAP Gujarat. Lately, Arvind Kejriwal did not make any statement in support of Jharkhand Congress MP Deeraj Sahu. In the bio section of the parody ‘X’ handle, it is clearly stated that they are not affiliated to any political party. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether Arvind Kejriwal had recently made any statement backing Jharkhand Congress MP Deeraj Sahu, we could not find any such statement on the official social media handles of Arvind Kejriwal. No news agency published articles reporting Arvind Kejriwal making such a statement in support of Deeraj Sahu.
Upon searching for further details, we found that the purported statement was tweeted by a parody ‘X’ account created with the name ‘AAP Gujarat || Mission 2024 || Loksabha – Parody’. The parody ‘X’ handle tweeted this statement by attributing it to Arvind Kejriwal. However, Kejriwal did not make any such statement in support of Deeraj Sahu.
"धीरज साहू पर जूठा आरोप लगा कर फसाया जा रहा है, में पढ़ा लिखा आदमी हुँ, मैने भारत का संविधान पढ़ा है, घर में कैश नहीं रख सखते ऐसा किसी भी पन्ने पर नहीं लिखा है।"
– CM #ArvindKejriwal pic.twitter.com/3K15twOHn5
In the bio-section of the parody ‘X’ handle, it is clearly stated that they are not affiliated to any political party and that the tweets published on this ‘X’ handle are just satire.
To sum it up, this purported statement of Arvind Kejriwal made in support of Congress politician Dheeraj Sahu was tweeted by AAP Gujarat’s parody ‘X’ handle.

created: December 14, 2023


text:
This purported statement of CJI DY Chandrachud encouraging people to come out on the streets and protest against the government is a fake one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 18, 2023
A purported statement of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, encouraging people to come out on the streets and protest against the government, is being shared on social media. The purported statement attributed to DY Chandrachud reada- “We are trying our best to save the constitution of India, democracy of India, but your cooperation is also very important for this, all the people should unite and come out on the streets and ask the government about their rights. This dictatorial government will scare people, threaten but you don’t have to be afraid, keep courage and ask the government to account. I am with you.” Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A purported statement of CJI DY Chandrachud encouraging people to protest against the government.
Fact: The Public Relations Office (PRO) of the Supreme Court issued a press note clarifying that the viral statement is fake, ill-intended and mischievous. Supreme Court, through the press release, informed that no such post was issued or authorized by the CJI. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When searched to check whether CJI DY Chandrachud had made any such statement asking people to come out on the streets and do protests against the government, we found a tweet published by ‘Live Law’ related to this viral statement attributed to CJI DY Chandrachud on social media. The tweet states, “#SupremeCourt issues a statement regarding a fake news being spread in the social media falsely quoting the Chief Justice of India. Law authorities are taking appropriate action in this regard.”
#SupremeCourt issues a statement regarding a fake-news being spread in the social media falsely quoting the Chief Justice of India.
Law authorities are taking appropriate action in this regard.#SupremeCourtofIndia pic.twitter.com/gRy65EpIA6
Live Law, in the tweet, shared a press note issued by the Public Relations Office (PRO) of the Supreme Court, regarding this fabricated statement falsely attributed to the CJI. Confirming that the viral quote was falsely attributed to the CJI, the press note stated- “The post is fake, ill-intended and mischievous. No such post has been issued by the Chief Justice of India nor has he authorized any such post. Appropriate action is being taken in this regard with the law enforcement authorities.”
Reporting this clarification issued by the Supreme Court, several news agencies published articles. A few of those articles can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, this purported statement of CJI DY Chandrachud encouraging people to come out on the streets and protest against the government is a fake one.


text:
This purported statement of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat praising Rahul Gandhi is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 27, 2022
Social media users are sharing an image with some text claiming it as RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comments on Rahul Gandhi. The text in Hindi translates to, ‘Rahul Gandhi is the leader of the future. Taking him lightly will be costly. His family’s history shows that it would not be right to take Rahul Gandhi lightly.’ This claim has multiple posts (here and here) on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in these posts through this article.
Claim: Mohan Bhagwat said Rahul Gandhi is the future leader, and he should not be taken lightly.
Fact: Mohan Bhagwat, being the chief of RSS, any comment/statement made by him would generally get the attention of the media. We found no relevant news reports to prove that he made the statement about Rahul Gandhi that is being attributed to him. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We searched the internet for news reports about RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent comments on Rahul Gandhi with relevant keywords, and did not find any credible sources that support this claim. Further, we looked for relevant tweets on the official Twitter handles of RSS and Mohan Bhagwat, only to see that they haven’t tweeted anything which supports the viral post’s claim.
Reverse image search of the Mohan Bhagwat’s photo from the viral post led to a Times of India article with the same image of him captured during ‘The Future of Bharat: An RSS Perspective’ event. According to the 2018 Times of India report, Mohan Bhagwat said, ‘Congress played an important role in India’s freedom struggle’. However, Mohan Bhagwat has not made any statements about Rahul Gandhi during this event. The full speech of the event can be seen here. With this evidence, we can conclude that the viral post falsely quotes Mohan Bhagwat as the one who made the statements in the post.
To sum up, this purported statement of the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Rahul Gandhi is fake.


text:
This purported ‘The Indian Express’ article promoting investments by prominent businessmen is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 8, 2023
Update (08 August 2023):
Another post sharing an URL and the screenshot of a purported article published by ‘The Indian Express’ is being shared on social media claiming that Infosys Co-Founder Narayana Murthy, a Co-Founder and Former CEO of Infosys, launched a new trading platform that will help every citizen of India to have stable passive income.
But the URL shared in the post leads to a dubious phishing website as it is different from the URL of ‘The Indian Express’. ‘The Indian Express’ did not publish any such article reporting a new trading platform said to be announced by Narayana Murthy. On searching for further details regarding this fake website, we found that this fake website with the domain name ‘https://indian-expresslive.com/’ was registered on 02 June 2023. The Registrar’s name was mentioned as ‘NameCheap, Inc’.
Update (17 April 2023):
Another post sharing an URL and the screenshot of a purported article published by ‘The Indian Express’ is being shared on social media claiming that Nandan Nilekani, an Indian Businessman and co-Founder of tech giant Infosys, had invested  Rupees 892 Million in a new trading platform to make ordinary people richer. But the URL shared in the post directs to an unrelated article published by ‘The Indian Express’ on 28 April 2022. The article reported about Nandan Nilekani’s new ambitious goal of helping PM Narendra Modi in building an open network system that can create a freely accessible online system where traders and consumers can buy and sell everything online.
According to the article, the objective behind this initiative is to eventually curb the online domination of Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart e-commerce sites. The article did not report anything about Nandan Nilekani investing in any new trading platform to help poor people in the country.
Denying these social media rumours about him launching a crypto project, Nandan Nilekani in a tweet on 15 February 2022 stated-“You may have encountered a post on various social media platforms claiming that I have launched a crypto project. This is #fakenews! Please avoid clicking on it and report it as misleading/false information on the platform where you see it.” Several news websites have published articles reporting Nandan Nilekani’s clarification about these false claims about him launching a crypto project to help poor people.
You may have encountered a post on various social media platforms claiming that I have launched a crypto project. This is #fakenews! Please avoid clicking on it and report it as misleading/false information on the platform where you see it.
Update (09 October 2022):
Another post with a similar phishing URL of a purported article published by ‘The Indian Express’ that talks about a special report on Mukesh Ambani’s secret investment is being shared on social media. But, as explained below, ‘The Indian Express’ did not publish any such articles reporting such a new cryptocurrency investment promoted by prominent personalities.
Published (11 September 2022):
A post sharing an URL of a purported article published by ‘The Indian Express’  is being shared on social media claiming that thousands of people were raking in millions of rupees in a new cryptocurrency investment that is said to be advised by the Indian Business Tycoon Gautam Adani. This purported article reported that Gautam Adani, during an interview with Sonal Mehrotra Kapoor on Good Morning India, advised people to invest in a new cryptocurrency auto-trading program called Ethereum Code, for making money in a short time. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘The Indian Express’ article that reported a cryptocurrency investment suggested by Gautam Adani.
Fact: The purported ‘Indian Express’ article shared in the post is from a dubious & fake website. ‘The Indian Express’ did not publish any such article reporting such a new cryptocurrency investment promoted by Gautam Adani. Gautam Adani did not promote Etherium Code cryptocurrency in any of his interviews. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On carefully observing the purported article shared in the post, one can see the masthead of the purported article stating ‘The Indian Expres’, which is different from the ‘The Indian Express’ masthead printed on the original news website. Further, the URL shared in the post indicates that it leads to a dubious phishing website as it is different from the URL of the ‘Indian Express’. Also, we could find several grammatical errors in the purported article shared in the post.
On searching for further details regarding this fake website, we found that this fake website with the domain name ‘rsnmdfgh5l.digital’ was registered on 12 May 2022. The Registrar’s name was mentioned as ‘NameSilo, LLC.  The registrar contact organization was mentioned as ‘See PrivacyGuardian.org’. On opening the home page of this website, it states, ‘We’re Coming Soon.. We’re working on our new website. Join our newsletter and get notifed’. So, it can be confirmed from all these details that the purported Indian Express article shared in the post is published by a dubious website.
When we searched to check whether ‘The Indian Express’ had published any such article reporting the new cryptocurrency investment said to be advised by Gautam Adani, we could not find any such news report on the official website of ‘The Indian Express’. Earlier, ‘The Indian Express’ through the tweets clarified about similar fake articles attributed to the Indian Express on social media. We could not find any video of Money-control Editor, Sonal Mehrotra Kapoor, interviewing Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani. Also, when we searched to check whether Gautam Adani had advised people to invest in Ethereum, we could not find any news report confirming this information.
#FakeNewsAlert | A website called https://t.co/e4FzYarnIt has posted a story trying to look like an https://t.co/XYlZoUMMsK page. This has nothing to do with The Indian Express and is a misuse of our masthead. pic.twitter.com/smZurJsXmA
Ethereum Code is a dubious cryptocurrency trading platform that asks users to provide names and e-mail addresses to join the community. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the purported Indian Express article shared in the post is fake.
To sum it up, this purported Indian Express article reporting a new cryptocurrency investment said to be promoted by Gautam Adani is fake.

created: August 8, 2023


text:
This purported tweet of ‘BBC News Hindi’ reporting gangrape of two Pakistani boys after the PAK vs AFG match is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 9, 2022
A screenshot of a purported tweet made by ‘BBC News Hindi’ channel is being shared on social media claiming that two Pakistani boys were gang raped in a washroom after the Pakistan vs. Afghanistan cricket match on 07 September 2022. This purported tweet reported that the two boys were in critical condition and that 23 Pathans were arrested based on the CCTV footage. Let’s verify the claim made in the post
Claim: ‘BBC News Hindi’ tweet reporting gangrape of two Pakistani boys after the PAK vs AFG cricket match in Asia Cup 2022.
Fact: The purported ‘BBC News Hindi’ tweet shared in the post is a morphed one. ‘BBC News Hindi’ did not make any such tweet on their official Twitter handle. Also, there are no news reports on the internet about the alleged gangrape of two Pakistani boys after the Pakistan vs. Afghanistan cricket match on 07 September 2022 in Asia Cup 2022. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether ‘BBC News Hindi’ had made any such tweet on 08 September 2022 as shown in the post, we could not find any such tweet on the official Twitter handle of ‘BBC News Hindi’. On comparing a normal tweet published by ‘BBC News Hindi’ with the screenshot of the tweet shared in the post, we could clearly find the difference in time and date stamps in both these tweets. Also, the grammatical errors in the tweet confirm that the screenshot of the tweet shared in the post is a morphed one.
On 08 September 2022, ‘BBC News Hindi’ published a tweet thread stating that in the past few days, many fake tweets or posts are being shared on social media in the name of BBC Hindi. BBC News Hindi informed the public and media to check their official social media handles if they find any such fake posts attributed to BBC Hindi. Lately, ‘BBC News Hindi’ published a few clarification tweets related to similar fake tweets attributed to ‘BBC News Hindi’. They can be seen here and here.
बीते दिनों में बीबीसी हिंदी के नाम से कई फ़ेक ट्वीट या पोस्ट सोशल मीडिया पर शेयर किए जा रहे हैं.
ऐसे किसी भी फ़ेक ट्वीट, ख़बर या बीबीसी हिंदी के नाम से शेयर की जा रही जानकारी पर संदेह होने की स्थिति में हमारे वैरिफाइड अकाउंट्स पर ज़रूर चेक करें. https://t.co/JKEWZhAM6L
A ‘BBC Hindi’ official confirmed to ‘Boom Live’ that ‘BBC News Hindi’ had not made any such tweet on their official Twitter media handle.
After Pakistan vs. Afghanistan cricket match on 07 September 2022 in Asia Cup 2022, clashes broke out between the Afghanistan and Pakistan fans in the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Following Pakistan’s one-wicket win over Afghanistan, fans of both teams were seen fighting with chairs in the stadium. A few news articles that reported the clash between Afghanistan and Pakistan fans after the Asia Cup 2022 match, on 07 September 2022, can be read here and here. But, it is nowhere reported that two Pakistani boys were gang-raped after the PAK vs. AFG match on 07 September 2022.
To sum it up, this purported tweet of ‘BBC News Hindi’ reporting gangrape of two Pakistani boys after the PAK vs AFG match in Asia Cup 2022 is fake.

created: September 9, 2022


text:
This purported tweet of PTI reporting Amruta Fadnavis extending support to Brij Bhushan Singh is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 5, 2023
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly published the Press Trust of India (PTI) is being shared on social media claiming that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis’s wife Amruta Fadnavis has extended her support to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by the wrestlers. The purported tweet of PTI states, “Amruta Fadnavis comes out in support of Brijbhushan and said she will retire from singing if anything happens to Brijbhushan.” Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Screenshot of PTI’s tweet reporting Amruta Fadnavis extending support to Brij Bhushan Singh.
Fact: The purported tweet shown in the photo was tweeted by a parody account of the Press Trust of India. Lately, Amruta Fadnavis did not make any such statement extending her support to Brij Bhushan Singh, and PTI also did not make any such tweet reporting Amruta Fadnavis’s statement about Brij Bhushan Singh. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When searched to check whether the Press Trust of India (PTI) made any such tweet reporting Amruta Fadnavis extending support to the WFI President Brij Bhushan Singh, we could not find any such tweet on the official Twitter handle of the PTI. Also, we could not find any news report confirming the news of Amruta Fadnavis coming out in support of Brij Bhushan Singh.
On observing the photo shared in the post carefully, one could see the Twitter profile name as ‘Press Thrust of India’, instead of the ‘Press Trust of India’. The username of the official Twitter handle of PTI is ‘@PTI_News’, whereas the username on the fake tweet shown in the post was “@ZackRhea”. Also, there is no blue verified tick mark on the purported PTI tweet shared in the post. The fake tweet shared in the post mentioned WFI President’s name as Brijbhushan Singh, but the original Twitter handle of PTI always mentioned WFI President’s name as Brij Bhushan Singh or Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The Twitter account with the username “@ZackRhea” can be seen here. In the bio-section of the Twitter handle, it is clearly stated as a parody account of the Press Trust of India. Many users quoted this fake tweet published by the parody account of PTI. A few of those tweets can be seen here and here. The said tweet is now deleted from the parody account.
To sum it up, this purported tweet of PTI reporting Amruta Fadnavis extending support to Brij Bhushan Singh is fake.


text:
This purported tweet of Rahul Gandhi about Mahabharata is a morphed one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 17, 2021
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is being shared on social media claiming that the tweet resembles Rahul Gandhi’s lack of knowledge about Hindu holy texts Mahabharata and Ramayana. This purported tweet of Rahul Gandhi stated Lord Ram, instead of Krishna, as the guide for Arjuna and mentions Yudhishter, Laxman, Arjun, Ganesh and Shatrughan Sinha as the five Pandavas who killed Ravana. Also, this purported tweet of Rahul Gandhi compared the Congress party with Pandavas and BJP leaders with Kauravas. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi tweet on Mahabharata characters.
Fact: The tweet shared in the post is a morphed one. Rahul Gandhi did not make any such tweet on his Twitter handle. Rahul Gandhi did compare Congress party leaders with Pandavas and BJP leaders with Kauravas in 2018. But he never made the comments as alleged in the tweet. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On observing the tweet carefully, we could see the purported tweet was made on 19 March 2018. When we searched to check whether Rahul Gandhi had made any such tweet on 19 March 2018 using the Twitter Advanced search, we could not find any on his official Twitter handle. If Rahul Gandhi had made any such tweet, several news websites would have published articles reporting this information. But we could not find a single news article reporting this information.
On comparing a normal tweet made from Rahul Gandhi’s official Twitter handle with that of the tweet in the screenshot, we could observe multiple differences in both these tweets. The tweet shared in the post had no blue tick mark unlike the official Twitter handle of Rahul Gandhi. Also, the purported tweet shared in the post did not display the device name from which the tweet was made.  A normal tweet made by any Twitter user generally displays the device name from which they are tweeting.
In 2018, during the Congress Plenary and the Karnataka election meetings, Rahul Gandhi’s address compared the Congress party with Pandavas and BJP leaders with Kauravas in Mahabharatha. But Rahul Gandhi had never made comments as alleged in the tweet screenshot.
1000 years ago, Kauravas were fighting for power and Pandavas were fighting for truth. The same question arises now, whether to support BJP's hunger for power or Congress's fight for truth: Congress President @RahulGandhi #JanaAashirwadaYatre #RGInKarnataka
To sum it up, the image of a purported tweet of Rahul Gandhi about Mahabharata is a morphed one.

created: December 17, 2021


text:
This purported tweet of Sonu Sood promising military help to Hamas militant group is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 20, 2021
A screenshot of a tweet thread is being shared on social media claiming that Bollywood actor Sonu Sood had recently promised Hamas terrorists that he would deliver five Rafale jets to fight against the Israel forces. This tweet thread shows tweets purportedly made by Bollywood actors Swara Bhasker and Sonu Sood. In the wake of the ongoing violent conflict between Israel and Palestine, this post is being shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Tweets by Bollywood actors Sonu Sood and Swara Bhasker in support of Hamas militant group.
Fact: The tweet thread shared in the post is a digitally created one. Hamas militant group has no official handle on Twitter or any other social media site. The tweets in the image were not made by Bollywood actors Sonu Sood and Swara Bhaskar. Sonu Sood had never announced such military help to Hamas militant group. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for the official handle of the Hamas militant group on Twitter, it is found out that Hamas militant group has no official handle on Twitter. We could not find a Twitter account with the username (@Death_To_Juice) mentioned in the post. When we searched for the other tweets displayed in the screenshot, it is found out that Bollywood actors Sonu Sood and Swara Bhasker had not made such tweets on their official Twitter handles. Also, the usernames mentioned in the screenshot are not the official Twitter handles usernames of Sonu Sood and Swara Bhasker.
Sonu Sood had never announced any such military help to Hamas militant group for their fight against the Israel forces. If Sonu Sood had announced such help to the Hamas militant group, several news websites would have published articles by now. But, we could not find any news article reporting such information. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the screenshot shared in the post is a digitally created one.
To sum it up, the purported tweet thread of Sonu Sood promising Rafale jets to Hamas militant group is digitally created one.


text:
This purported tweet of the Israel Defence Force questioning India's support is Fake. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 4, 2023
A screenshot of an alleged tweet of the Israel Defence Force making derogatory remarks at India for standing and supporting Israel is being shared on social media. The purported tweet reads, “Indian stand with Israel ? Who ask you to support us ? Even a cents your country can’t effort to settle-up a pandemic covid-19 in your country. Stop dreaming in a day time”.  We received a request on our WhatsApp tipline to check the authenticity of this tweet.  Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The Israel Defence Force posted a tweet ridiculing India for supporting their country.
Fact: The Israel Defence Force has not made such remarks against India on Twitter. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To check the claim’s veracity, we performed a keyword search on the internet to see if any media outlets have reported the Israel Defence Force making such a statement on India through X (formerly Twitter). This yielded no credible news reports supporting the viral claim.
We further checked the official verified X handle of the Israel Defence Force to see whether they made such a tweet on the said date, i.e. 15 May 2021. We found no such tweet on their page. This makes it clear that the viral screenshot of the alleged tweet is Fake and most probably a graphic created using digital graphic designing tools like Photoshop, illustrator, etc. Furthermore, speaking to the fact-checking website ‘CHECKYOURFACT’, an IDF spokesperson refuted the viral claim by labelling it as “Completely False.”
To sum up, this purported tweet of the Israel Defence Force making derogatory remarks against India is fake.

created: December 4, 2023


text:
This purported ‘Zee News’ article about Capsiplex weight loss product invention by an Indian student is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 27, 2022
A post sharing a link of the purported article published by the ‘Zee News’ website claims that an Indian student from Mumbai has discovered a new innovative weight loss supplement that could reduce body weight up to 13kgs/week without using chemicals, being starved or performing exercises. This post claims that Sunitha Joshi, a Mumbai-based student, was honoured at the European Congress of Endocrinology for inventing a new weight loss product Capsiplex. According to the article, the product accelerates metabolism, restores the endocrine system and reduces the fat inside the body at a fast rate. Also, the article states that Capsiplex can be availed only in India by participating in a lucky draw till 26 October 2022. At the end of the article, the purported Zee News article provided a digital lottery rotating system and asks users to rotate the lottery draw to avail discounts on the products. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘Zee News’ article reporting the invention of Capsiplex weight loss product by an Indian student.
Fact: The purported ‘Zee News’ article shared in the post is a fake one. Capsiplex is a slimming pill that contains an ingredient called capsaicin, a naturally occurring compound found in chilli peppers (capsicums). Capsiplex claims to increase metabolism to burn calories 12 times faster than normal. The US-based Capsiplex company manufactured this product after carrying out trials at the University of Oklahoma in the US. The Capsiplex product is available on many e-commerce websites in India and they do not sell this product through a lucky draw. According to an NCBI research study, using capsinoid products (6mg/week) for 12 weeks showed a decrease of 0.92kg body weight. Capsiplex was not invented by any Indian student named Sunitha Joshi. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether the ‘Zee News’ website had published any such article, we could not find any such news on the official website and YouTube channels of ‘Zee News’. All the pictures shared in the article are reference pictures taken from ‘Zee News’, ‘Shuttershock’ and other websites.
When we searched to find whether any Indian student named Sunitha Joshi was honoured at the European Congress of Endocrinology for inventing a new formula for weight loss, we could not find any news reports confirming this information on the internet. A few websites while advertising and reviewing a bio-capsule product named ‘Motto Ketu’, described that the weight loss supplement was manufactured by Mumbai student Sunita Joshi. But on the official website of Akravi, the manufacturing company of ‘Motto Ketu’, it is nowhere mentioned that Sunita Joshi is the innovator of this bio-capsule. A Hyderabad-based Ayurvedic Doctor Sunitha Joshi recommended water therapy for quick weight loss.
What is Capsiplex?
Capsiplex is a slimming pill that contains an ingredient called capsaicin, a naturally occurring compound found in chilli peppers (capsicums) that gives them their heat. The capsaicinoids present in Capsiplex induces thermogenesis that helps to burn more calories in the body, during a short period. The US-based Capsiplex company manufactured this product after carrying out trials at the University of Oklahoma in the US. Several news websites published articles reporting the trials and launch of the Capsiplex weight loss supplement in 2009 and 2010. They can be seen here, here and here.
According to these news reports, Capsiplex claims to increase metabolism to burn calories 12 times faster than normal. A few research articles published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) have also stated that the consumption of foods containing capsaicin was associated with a lower prevalence of obesity. But the research studies indicated that the treatment of overweight or obese subjects with 6 mg/day capsinoid for 12 weeks lead to a decrease of 0.92 kgs in body weight. As per the manufacturer’s statement, reported by a few websites, a person using Capsiplex could expect to lose weight to a maximum of 4lb (1.814kg) in the first week followed by the 1-2lb (0.45 to 0.9kgs) a week after that.  A Capsiplex consumer in the review section stated that he had lost 16 kgs in three and a half month time frame after using the weight loss supplement.
The Capsiplex product is available on many e-commerce websites in India like Amazon, Jio Mart and others.  However, Capsiplex product  is not sold online through a lucky draw system,. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the purported Zee News article shared in the post is a fake one.
To sum it up, this purported ‘Zee News’ article reporting the Capsiplex product invention by Sunitha Joshi is a fake one.

created: October 27, 2022