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These 3 Hindu persons were not arrested for offering Namaz in UP's Lulu Mall; they were arrested in a different case - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 21, 2022
Update (21 JULY 2022):
In a recent development on the ‘Lulu Mall’ Namaz recital incident, Lucknow police arrested four men and have taken them into custody. The names of the arrested men are Mohd Rehan, Atif Khan, Mohd Lukman Ali and Mohd Nauman Ali, of Laharpur, Sitapur. Lucknow Police though a tweet has also confirmed the arrest of the individuals.
लू लू मॉल में बिना अनुमति नमाज पढ़ने वाले अभियुक्तों की गिरफ्तारी के संबंध में अपर पुलिस उपायुक्त दक्षिणी द्वारा दी गई बाइट।@Uppolice pic.twitter.com/jcJv1G8bzw
Published (19 JULY 2022):
Amid the controversy around a few people offering namaz inside Lulu mall in Lucknow, and reports speculating their religious identity, a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that three Hindus were arrested for offering namaz. Few other similar posts with a police press note are also being shared. Let’s fact-check these claims.
Claim: Three Hindu persons were arrested by the UP police for reciting Namaz inside the Lulu Mall.
Fact: These three men, Sarojnath Yogi, Krishna Kumar Pathak, and Gaurav Goswami along with Arshad Ali were arrested by the UP police for trying to perform religious rituals in the mall on 15 July 2022. These arrests are not related to the original incident where eight persons reportedly offered namaz inside the Lulu Mall on 12 July 2022. Hence this post is MISLEADING.
Upon searching the internet with relevant keywords, we found an article published in the ‘The Hindu’ related to the same incident. The report states that the UP police clarified that no non-muslims offered Namaz inside the Lulu mall.
The article further reads, ‘Saroj, Krishna, and Gaurav, were allegedly trying to perform a puja while Arshad was allegedly trying to offer Namaz on the premises. Sources said the eight people who allegedly offered Namaz on 12th July were yet to be traced.’
The same was reported by other media outlets too stating that the press note released by the police clarified that ‘Misleading news was circulated on social media claiming that three out of the four people arrested on 15 July 2022 were the namazis in the July 12 incident.’ The screenshot of the press note can be found in this tweet made by DCP South Lucknow.
लुलु मॉल परिसर में बिना अनुमति धार्मिक क्रियाकलाप के प्रयास के संबंध में – थाना सुशांत गोल्फ सिटी ।@Uppolice @lkopolice pic.twitter.com/3RpdMv8DuZ
To sum it up, these 3 Hindu persons were not arrested for offering Namaz in UP’s Lulu Mall; they were arrested in a different case on a different day.


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These 9 Countries account for 70% of all NRIs/PIOs
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 3, 2016
As per the latest data available with the Ministry of External Affairs, there are an estimated 2.82 crore NRIs/PIOs across the world in 146 different countries. Nine of the 146 countries have more than a million NRIs/PIOs each accounting for nearly 70% of the total Indian diaspora.
The Prime Minister recently inaugurated the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra’ in New Delhi and said that the Indian diaspora across the world should not only be looked at in terms of numbers, but also its strength. As far as numbers are concerned, there are an estimated 2.82 crore NRIs/PIOs across the world in 146 different countries according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
NRIs/PIOs/OCI Card Holders
The Indian diaspora living across the world has been categorized into broadly 3 types
From 2015, both the PIO & OCI schemes have been merged and the PIO card scheme has been discontinued. All existing PIO card holders are now deemed to be OCI cardholders. Details of who is eligible to register for an OCI card and the various benefits/facilities extended to both NRIs and OCI cardholders are available on the Ministry of Home Affairs website.
These 9 countries account for 70% of all NRIs/PIOs
As of April 2016, there are an estimated 2.82 crore NRIs/PIOs across the world in 146 different countries. Only 9 of these 146 countries have more than a million NRIs/PIOs each and account for nearly 70% of the 2.82 crore NRIs/PIOs. USA has the most number of NRIs/PIOs (44.6 lakh) followed by Saudi Arabia (29.6 lakh) and UAE (26.03 lakh). Malaysia is the only other country with more than 2 million NRIs/PIOs. The other countries in the million plus club include United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Myanmar and Canada.
Two of these 9 countries are in North America, one in Africa, one in Europe, two in the Middle East, one in East Asia and two in South Asia.
54 Countries have less than 1000 NRIs/PIOs each
Out of the 146 countries, 54 have less than 1000 NRIs/PIOs each. These include countries like Serbia, Croatia, Somalia, Palestine, Bolivia, Tunisia, Turkey, Namibia, Hungary, Senegal etc. Thirty-Eight (38) other countries have between 1000 and 10000 NRIs/PIOs that include countries like Brazil, Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, Afghanistan, Mexico, Finland, Iran, Egypt etc. Twenty-Seven (27) other countries have between 10000 and a lakh NRIs/PIOs including countries like Norway, Sweden, Bhutan, China, Kenya, Spain, Ireland, Japan etc. Eighteen (18) countries have between a lakh and a million NRIs/PIOs. These include countries like France, Germany, Thailand, Guyana, Fiji, Australia, Nepal, Qatar, Oman etc.
Featured Image: www.narendramodi.in

source: news-factly

created: October 3, 2016

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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These quotes on ‘ABP’ templates attributed to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi are morphed images - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 5, 2021
An image with ‘Breaking News’ templates of ‘ABP’ news channel is being shared on social media with the following quotes attributed to Rahul Gandhi-‘It is important to help Pakistan and we will definitely help them’, ‘As soon as our government gets formed, we will give five thousand crore loan to Pakistan without interest for 50 years’, ‘Congress Party belongs to Muslims and will remain theirs’ and ‘My ancestors were Muslims, I am Muslim’ (English Translations). Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘ABP’ Breaking news templates mentioning Rahul Gandhi’s recent statements on Pakistan and the Congress party.
Fact: The image shared in the post is an edited one. The font used in the ‘ABP’ ‘Breaking News’ template is different from the font in the posted image. ABP news channel itself had debunked a couple of quotes mentioned in the post. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether the ‘ABP’ news channel had telecasted such quotes attributing them to Rahul Gandhi, it is found out that ‘ABP’ news channel had itself debunked a couple of statements mentioned in the post. The statements debunked by the ‘ABP’ news channel are ‘मेरे पूर्वज मुस्लिम थे, मैं मुसलमान हू’, ‘हमारी सरकार बनते ही पाकिस्तान को 5 हजार करोड़ कर्ज देंगे बिना ब्याज 50 साल के लिए’. ‘ABP’ news channel clarified that they did not telecast these ‘Breaking News’ templates of Rahul Gandhi. They mentioned these templates as doctored images.
#Urgent: This is to notify that the attached media which is being circulated online has been doctored with our channel's template. The information about Sh. Rahul Gandhi's statements, which these images carry have not been reported by ABP & have no relation with ABP News Network. pic.twitter.com/qYU2sJXqsl
In the past, the same ‘कोंग्रेस मुस्लिमों की है, और उनकी ही रहेगी’ statement was attributed to Rahul Gandhi on social media. An Urdu news website ‘Inquilab’ had first published this statement attributing to Rahul Gandhi. But, Congress leaders denied Rahul Gandhi making such a statement. They clarified that Rahul Gandhi had not made any such statement stating Congress as a Muslim party. Rahul Gandhi in a tweet stated Congress as an unbiased political party that belongs to every religion in the country.
I stand with the last person in the line. The exploited, marginalised and the persecuted. Their religion, caste or beliefs matter little to me.
I seek out those in pain and embrace them. I erase hatred and fear.
I love all living beings.
I am the Congress.
Regarding the last statement (‘पाकिस्तान की मदद करना जरूरी है और हम यह जरूर करेंगे’), we could not find any reliable information to confirm that Rahul Gandhi had made these comments on helping Pakistan. On comparing the ‘Breaking News’ template text in the post with the text of the actual ‘Breaking News’ template of the ‘ABP’ news channel, we could observe the differences in the font. Also, the word ‘कांग्रेस’ is misspelled as ‘कोग्रेस’ in these screenshots.
FACTLY had earlier debunked images with similar ‘ABP’ templates that claimed Rahul Gandhi’s family affiliation to Muslims.
To sum it up, these ‘ABP’ news templates with Rahul Gandhi’s recent statements on Pakistan and Congress party are morphed images.


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These alleged Islamic conversion rate cards published in a newspaper are not part of an advertisement - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 18, 2022
A screenshot of a newspaper clipping is being shared on social media claiming that Muslims have started openly advertising the rewards for converting non-Muslim girls to Islam in the newspapers. A Hindi text heading above one of the price cards reads, “Ladki Bhagao-Muslim Banao..Aur Inaam Pao” (When translated to English: “Runaway with the girl-make her a Muslim…and get rewarded”). This news clipping has also shared another similar rate card with love and an arrow logo on the top. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Screenshot of a newspaper advertisement clipping mentioning the rewards for converting non-Muslim girls to Islam.
Fact: The news clipping shared in the post was published by the Sanjha Lokswami newspaper on 02 November 2017. Sanjha Lokswami published these rate cards as part of a news report it published about Love Jihad and exposing an alleged love jihad procedure using fake notaries. These are not advertisements issued by Muslims. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On observing the news clipping screenshot carefully, one could see the Hindi text ‘Sanjha Lokswami’ on top of the rate card. Sanjha Lokswami is a Madhya Pradesh-based Hindi daily newspaper. When we searched for this news clipping using relevant keywords on the internet, we found the same news clipping photo in a Facebook post published by Sanjha Lokswami journalist Nilesh Nagar on 02 November 2017. Nilesh Nagar published this newspaper clipping mentioning it to be a news story exposing the conspiracy of Islamic conversions in the name of love and using fake notaries.
While reporting an alleged master plan of love jihad using fake notaries, Sanjha Lokswami published a couple of price cards mentioning it as the price rewards by Muslim organisations for converting Hindu, Jain and Sikh girls to Islam. Sanjha Lokswami reported a few other news stories about Love Jihad in November 2022. They can be seen here and here. These price cards published in the Sanjha Lokswami newspaper are not advertisements issued by Muslims, but part of a story published by the newspaper.
On the other rate card published in the news clipping, one could see the Hezbollah flag logo on the love and arrow symbol published on the rate card. Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based Shia Islamist militant group and political organisation. This rate card first appeared in a story published by the ‘Sikhs and Islam’ blog page on 05 February 2010. A few news websites published articles in 2014 reporting these Islamic conversion rate cards as fake. They can be seen here and here. Though we could not ascertain the exact source of these rate cards, from the above pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the rate card in the news clipping shared in the post is not an advertisement by Muslims.
To sum it up, these alleged Islamic conversion rate cards published in the Sanjha Lokswami newspaper are not part of an advertisement issued by Muslims.

created: November 18, 2022


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These anniversary giveaway messages attributed to different companies are fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 9, 2023
A post is being shared on social media claiming that US multinational retail corporation Walmart is offering unique gift bags to people to celebrate its 51 anniversary. This post asks users to write ‘Done’ in the comment section to grab the unique gift bag from Walmart. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Walmart is offering unique gift bags to celebrate its 51 anniversary.
Fact: The first Walmart store was opened on 02 July 1962, in Arkansas state of the United States of America. So, it would be the 61st anniversary of Walmart in 2023. Walmart did not announce any such free gifts on the occasion of its anniversary. Walmart spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that the social media pages and posts announcing gift cards in the name of Walmart are fake. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched to check whether the US retail giant Walmart had announced any such offers ahead of its anniversary, we could not find any such announcements on the official website and social media handles of Walmart. Many other users have also published similar posts attributing to the Walmart. But none of these users including the one who shared the post, are affiliated in any way with Walmart.
The first Walmart store was opened on 02 July 1962, in Arkansas state of the United States of America. Walmart completed its 60th anniversary in 2022 itself. Walmart will complete its 61 anniversary in July 2023. So, the claims about Walmart now providing gifts for its 51 anniversary are completely baseless.
Walmart on their official website warned people about social media scams offering gift cards and other offers in the name of Walmart. In 2021, when similar anniversary giveaway posts were attributed to Walmart on social media, a Walmart spokesperson issued a clarification to Reuters stating that the pages and posts offering gift cards for its 60th anniversary are all false. Further, the Walmart spokesperson said, “Our digital team is working on getting this page and false information down as soon as possible”.
FACTLY had earlier debunked similar fake offers that were attributed to different companies.
To sum it up, these anniversary giveaway messages attributed to different companies are fake.

created: February 9, 2023


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These are not the actual registered voter figures in American states for 2020 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 6, 2020
A post with an image showing discrepancies in numbers regarding the number of registered voters and projected votes in the American states is going viral. It is being claimed that the turnout in the 2020 US  Presidential election is more than 100% in some of the states. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Numbers of projected votes for few States in US Presidential Election 2020 is greater than registered voters.
Fact: These are not official statistics regarding the registered voters. As per the official data provided on the respective state election commission website, the actual number of registered voters is more than the projected votes in each of the states. Even these figures are subject to changes as some states allow voters to register even on the election day.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Wisconsin:
According to a tweet on the official Twitter handle of Wisconsin Election Commission, as of 01 November 2020, the state had 3,684,726 active registered voters. Also, the state provides the facility of voter registration on election day, which means that the voter registration numbers some counties report in their unofficial results are not a true indicator of registration. Also, their tweet categorically stated that there are never more ballots than registered voters.
There are never more ballots than registered voters.
Pennsylvania:
According to official statistics provided on Pennsylvania state election commission website, there are 9,091,371 voters registered by county and  9,091,130 registered voters by the congressional districts.
Nevada:
As per Nevada state election commission, there are 2,032,450 total voters registered by county and party. Even voters in Nevada can register on election day, due to which the number of voters on the website may not reflect the actual registered voters.
North Carolina:
According to state election commission of North Carolina, there are 7.36 million registered voters whereas the total ballots cast are 5.49 million. This means the state registered 74.6 voter turnout. However these numbers are also subject to change after results are finalized.
Michigan:
According to official statistics, Michigan voter registration by county stands at 7,748,541. Voters in Michigan also can register for voting on the election day which means that the voter registration numbers some counties report in their unofficial results are not a true indicator of registration.
Arizona:
According to Arizona state election commission, there are 4,281,152 registered voters in the state.
Georgia :
As per Georgia state election commission statistics, there are 7,233,584 registered voters in the state.
Minnesota:
According to data provided by the office of Minnesota Secretary of State related to voter registrations, there are 3,588,563 registered voters as of 02 November 2020. Even Minnesota allows voter registrations on election day which means the data provided is tentative.
To sum it up, false numbers are being shared the number of registered voters in few States for the US Presidential Election 2020  to claim that the turnout is greater than registered voters.

created: November 6, 2020


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These are not Photographs sent by Chandrayaan-2 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 27, 2019
Few images and a video (made of images) is being widely shared on social media  with the claim that these are first photographs of earth sent by Chandrayaan-2. Let’s check if these images are indeed captured by Chandrayan 2.
First photograph of earth,  sent by Chandrayaan 2.
Fact: Multiple pictures from various sources are put together and shared as those captured by Chandrayaan-2. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Let’s trace if these images ever appeared on internet before the launch by Chandrayaan-2 i.e, before July 22, 2019.
Image 1:
A reverse image search of the above picture shows us that it was uploaded in few websites in the year 2014.
Image 2:
This picture is part of the full picture used in the poster of Nicholas Cage movie ‘Knowing’ released in 2009.
Image 3:
A reverse image search of the above picture shows us that it was uploaded in few websites 6 years ago.
Image 4:
A reverse image search on this informs us that this picture was uploaded by NASA on March 2, 2007 as ‘Astronomy Picture of the Day‘
Image 5:
This is a screenshot from the animated video made by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab.
Image 6:
A reverse image search of the above picture shows us that it was uploaded in a blog in 2004.
Image 7:
This is the cover photo of the of a book series Karac: Kaldar Warriors #1 released in 2014 and Darrok: Kaldar Warriors #2 released in 2016.
Image 8:
As per the Telegraph article in 2017 this image was taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) of a large plume of smoke, steam and ash erupting from the Sarychev volcano on the Kuril Islands, Russia. It is thought that the eruption has caused a hole to form in the cloud layer above it.
Image 9:
This is another illustration made by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab.
Image 10:
A reverse image search of the above picture shows us that it was uploaded on Facebook page Best Photography in 2014.
Image 11:
A reverse image search of the above picture shows us that this was designed to use as a wallpaper for mobiles and was uploaded here in 2012.
Finally multiple pictures from various sources are put together and shared as those captured by Chandrayaan-2.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series on Parliament?


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These are not the actual photos of Josephine Myrtle Corbin, a woman born with four legs - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 17, 2023
A collage of three pictures is being shared on social media which allegedly shows a four-legged woman named Josephine Myrtle, born in 1897. Let’s check the veracity of this information through this article.
Claim: The woman with four legs in this picture is Josephine Myrtle.
Fact: Although there lived a real person named Josephine Myrtle in the U.S., who was born with four legs, these photos do not show her. These are photos published in the Weekly World News (WWN) tabloid, which was infamous for publishing mostly fictional news. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
To learn more about the claim, we performed a reverse image search on Yandex, which led us to a website that contained the same photos. These photos look like a newspaper print. The cutline under one of those photos describes her as Ashley.
Taking this as a hint, we searched further to learn more about these pictures leading us to an article published in the Weekly World News(WWN) tabloid, which was infamous for publishing mostly fictional news.
According to this article, these are the wedding pictures of a woman named Ashley Braistle. Popular fact-checking website Snopes described these pictures as a hoax. They also mentioned that WWN used to publish ‘far-fetched fictional tales’ (example).
With this information, it is evident that these photos are not real. However, it is true that Josephine Myrtle Corbin was a real person born with a rare fetal anomaly known as dipygus. According to the University of Texas, Austin, she was born in 1868. According to a write-up published in their ‘Ransom Center Magazine’, ‘Myrtle Corbin Myrtle Corbin (1868–1927) was born with a dipygus twin, having a second set of legs growing out between her own legs that also led to a full functioning female reproductive system. She later went on to marry a doctor and gave birth to five children, three from one body and two from another. She is considered to be the only dypgus twin case that has done this.’ You can find her photo here.
According to a flyer available on the University of Texas, Arlington website, she was shown publicly at an exhibition. This flyer mentions that she was born in Lincoln County, Tennessee. Click here and here to learn more about Josephine.
To sum up, photos published along with a hoax website are falsely shared as photos of Josephine Myrtle Corbin, a woman born with four legs.


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These are not the photos of the Sun captured by ISRO’s sun observatory spacecraft Aditya L1 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 14, 2024
Claims have been circulating on social media suggesting that a series of images allegedly showing the sun from incredibly close proximity were captured by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Aditya L1 spacecraft. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: This series of images show the closest pictures of the sun taken by ISRO’s Aditya L1.
Fact: These images have been available on the internet since at least 2010, significantly predating the launch of the Aditya L1 mission on 02 September 2023. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
We began our fact-check process with a reverse image search of the viral images. This led us to web pages that contained the same images, which date back to 2010 and 2022.
The images found were posted on an online astronomical community forum called ‘Cloudy Nights’ by a user named Robert Arnold, with a clear watermark indicating the date of capture as 13 March 2010. This indicated that these images could not possibly have been captured by the Aditya L1 spacecraft, as it was only launched years later in 2023.
ISRO has indeed released images captured by the Aditya L1 spacecraft, which are available for viewing on their official platforms (here and here).
Aditya-L1 Mission:
The SUIT payload captures full-disk images of the Sun in near ultraviolet wavelengths
The images include the first-ever full-disk representations of the Sun in wavelengths ranging from 200 to 400 nm.
They provide pioneering insights into the intricate details… pic.twitter.com/YBAYJ3YkUy
However, the European Space Agency (ESA) / National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Solar Orbiter captured the closest sun images. In fact, one of the images taken by the Solar Orbiter is touted as ‘the highest resolution image of the Sun’s full disc and outer atmosphere, the corona, ever taken.’
To sum up, the images alleged to have been captured by ISRO’s Aditya L1 predate the launch of the Aditya L1 mission.


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These are the 14 designs of ₹10 Coins that are valid currently
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 9, 2018
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a press release stating that there are 14 different designs of    ₹10 coins that are currently valid. The release confirms that all these designs are valid coins and can be accepted for transactions.
In the recent months, there have been rumours about the ₹ 10 coins being declared invalid by the government. Many vendors and shopkeepers have refused to accept the ₹ 10 coins. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on multiple occasions had confirmed that the ₹ 10 coins are valid and they can be accepted for all transactions. The RBI has now issued a detailed press release listing the 14 different designs of the ₹ 10 coins that are currently valid.
14 Designs currently valid
The 14 designs that are currently valid have distinctive features reflecting various themes. Many of them have been issued on important occasions. The RBI also made it clear that since coins have longer life, coins of different designs and shapes circulate in the market at the same time which is usually not the case with currency notes.
The RBI has also advised banks to accept coins for transactions and exchange at all their branches.

created: February 9, 2018


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These are the Checks put in place to prevent misuse of Tatkal Booking
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 8, 2018
In December 2017, the CBI arrested 14 people including one CBI employee for misusing the Tatkal booking through an illicit software. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, the government listed down the additional checks put in place to prevent such misuse.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)  registered a case  on 25th  December 2017, against one Mr. Ajay Garg and 14 others for misusing the Tatkal booking system.  Mr. Garg was working as an Assistant Programmer in CBI. Now, the government in its  response to a question in the Lok Sabha  has acknowledged that many websites were providing illegal software for Tatkal booking and that a request was sent to Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) to block such websites. The government also listed the various additional checks put in place to prevent misuse of the Tatkal booking.
The CBI case
The  CBI in its FIR  mentioned that Mr. Garg worked with IRCTC earlier and had gained inside knowledge of the technical platform, its functioning and vulnerabilities. It goes onto state that he had developed an illicit software to dupe the Tatkal booking system and had distributed the software to various people across the country.The software developed by Mr. Garg reduces the time taken to book a ticket by saving all the required details like IRCTC IDs, passenger names, payment methods, class of travel etc. These details are auto filled on the IRCTC portal as soon as the Tatkal booking starts. The software also provided for proxy IP addresses, bypassing CAPTCHA and bank OTP among other things.  The CBI FIR also mentions that one Mr. Anil Gupta who distributes the software on behalf of Mr. Garg transfers money to Mr. Garg through bitcoins, hawala etc.
IRCTC introduces further checks to prevent quick data entry
After this incident came to light, IRCTC had introduced the following additional checks to negate quick data entry, as per the response to a  question in the Lok Sabha .
As per the information shared by the government, exception reports are being generated for suspicious IDs, time check violation attempts and for bookings done in first second of opening of Tatkal booking period.  The government also mentioned that such user IDs are deactivated manually after analysis.

created: February 8, 2018


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Leave applications by Lok Sabha MPs - Who & Why?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 19, 2019
The Constitution provides for disqualification of a Member of Parliament (MP) if he/she is absent continuously for 60 days from the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha without permission. Hence MPs submit leave applications when they are absent for a longer period of time. In the 16th Lok Sabha, 63 leave applications are submitted till August 2018.
The national average attendance for the 16th Lok Sabha MPs is around 80% as per the data compiled by PRS Legislative Research. The 16th Lok Sabha was in session for more than 320 days so far.
As for the MPs who are absent from the house, some of them submit a leave application. In the first 4 odd years of the 16th Lok Sabha, a total of 63 leave applications were received from 43 MPs of the Lok Sabha. These 63 applications together sought a leave more than 2000 days.
Why does a MP submit a leave application?
Article 101 of the Constitution of India lays down conditions for declaring a parliamentary seat as vacant. One of the conditions is about absence of members from the house. If any MP is absent for a continuous period of sixty days (60) without permission, the house can declare his seat as vacant. Hence MPs submit leave applications when they are absent from the house for a relatively longer period.
The MP is supposed to submit his leave application to the Speaker of the house citing the reasons for absence.  One single leave application cannot exceed 60 days. All the leave applications thus received are referred to the ‘Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House’. This is a standing committee in the Lok Sabha that meets and decides on each leave application. A suitable recommendation is made for each leave application. In practice, leave applications are never rejected and the recommendations made by the committee are ratified by the house.  The committee is currently chaired by P Karunakaran of the CPI(M), an MP from Kerala.
63 Leave applications in the 16h Lok Sabha so far
Till date, 63 leave applications were submitted by 43 MPs of the 16th Lok Sabha.  Out of the 63 leave applications, MPs of the BJP submitted 24 leave applications followed by 13 of the Trinamool Congress, 7 by MPs of the BJD and 4 from the Congress.  MPs  of the NCP & YSRCP submitted 3 leave applications each. Overall, MPs belonging to 13 different political parties submitted leave applications in the 16th Lok Sabha.
Illness is the most cited reason
35 of the 63 leave applications cited illness as the reason for leave. Thirty four (34) of them mentioned illness to self while one application by a BJP MP mentioned illness in the family as the reason. Ten (10) applications mentioned elections in their constituency as the reason for their absence. Three (3) applications mentioned constituency related work as the reason for absence while the six applications from a BJD MP mentioned detention in jail as the reason. The BJD MP was arrested by the CBI in a chit fund scam. Overall, detention in jail was cited as the reason in 10 applications. MPs from Trinamool Congress & LJP also cited detention in jail as the reason for absence.  Three applications mentioned visit abroad as the reason for absence including one from BJP MP Hema Malini. One application from Trinamool MP Sugata Bose mentioned a teaching assignment abroad as the reason for absence. Only one application by a Trinamool Congress MP mentioned multiple reasons in the application like visit abroad, marriage in the family and relief work in constituency. Two MPs mentioned ‘Death in Family’ as the reason for absence. Unfortunately, four MPs who applied for leave passed away i.e., Kapil Krishna Thakur of the Trinamool Congress, Vinod Khanna & Chand Nath Yogi of the BJP, and M. I. Shanavas of the Congress
The committee recommended all the leave applications
The committee recommended all the leave applications received from MPs. In only five cases, it did not recommend the total number of days as applied by the MP. In the case of former INC MP Amarinder Singh & BJP MP Vitthalbhai Hansrajbhai Radadiyathe, the committee recommended leave for 59 days and asked them to apply afresh for the remaining days since it cannot recommend leave of absence for more than 59 days at one go. Same was the case with the leave application of  YSRCP MP, S P Y Reddy.  In the case of BJD MP Rama Chandra Hansdah, who was in jail, the committee condoned 67 days of leave. In all the other cases, the committee recommended the same number of days as applied by the MP. The BJD MP who was in judicial custody applied for a leave for the most number of days (299 days) followed by BJP MP, Chand Nath (164 days) who passed away in 2017.  Eight (8) other MPs applied for a leave of more than 50 days each.

created: January 19, 2019


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These ‘Atmanirbhar Rojgaar Kendra’ & ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’ websites are not associated with the government - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 11, 2022
Online website ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’ is claiming to have an association with the central government. Another website ‘Atmanirbhar Rojgaar Kendra’ is posed as part of a government scheme. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Rojgaar Kendra’ websites are associated with the government.
Fact: The website in the name of ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’ is a fraudulent one. PIB Fact Check had tweeted about the same website saying that it’s a fake website posing as the official website of ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’. ‘Atmanirbhar Rojgaar Kendra’ is not associated with the central government as there is no such scheme or organisation. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
samagrashiksha.org (archived):
When we searched on the internet, we found the government website that is associated with Samagra Shiksha Scheme of the Ministry of Education. The official website looks different from the website claimed.
When we searched for the details of the website that is claiming to have been associated with the central government, we found the details of that website on the Whois.com  website. This website with the domain name ‘samagrashiksha.org’ was registered in October 2021 in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This website has nothing to do with the central government.
PIB Fact Check had tweeted about the same website saying that it is a fake website posing as the official website of the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan; and that it was claiming to provide jobs for various posts. The tweet also confirms that the website is not associated with the government of India.
A #Fake website, 'https://t.co/4Vm7npjMTP' posing as the official website of the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan is claiming to provide jobs for various posts.#PIBFactCheck
▶This website is not associated with the Govt. of India
▶For authentic info, visit: https://t.co/PwYQk7E9Q1 pic.twitter.com/OuRdQlt5i1
atmanirbharrojgaarkendra.org (archived):
When we searched on the internet, we could not find any scheme or organisation named ‘Atmanirbhar Rojgaar Kendra’ that is associated with the central government. There is a scheme under the Ministry of Labour & Employment named ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana’. There is no mention of ‘Atmanirbhar Rojgaar Kendra’ website as part of this scheme.
It has also been alleged on social media that this website is taking money from people in the name of providing jobs. As the name of the website is almost identical to a government scheme, people mistake the website to be associated with the government. Another website ‘Rojgar Protsahan Niyukti’, with the same banner image, text, as the ‘Atmanirbhar Rojgaar Kendra’ website is also being passed as part of a government scheme.
When we searched for the details of the website that is posed as part of a government scheme, we found the details of that website on the Whois.com website. This website with the domain name ‘atmanirbharrojgaarkendra.org’ was registered in December 2021 in the United States. This website has nothing to do with the central government.
To sum it up, these ‘Atmanirbhar Rojgaar Kendra’ and ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’ websites are not associated with the government.

created: January 11, 2022


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These Ayodhya Ram Mandir bells are not manufactured by BHEL Trichy - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 2, 2024
A post accompanying a video of the transportation of large-sized bells on a truck is being widely shared across social media platforms with the claim that the video shows BHEL Trichy manufactured bells for Ayodhya Ram Mandir. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video shows bells manufactured by BHEL Trichy for Ayodhya Ram Mandir.
Fact: In November 2023, Rajendra Prasad, a devotee from Bengaluru, placed an order for the manufacturing of 48 bells at Andal Moulding Works in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu, to be installed in the newly built Ram Mandir. The viral video shows these bells being part of a special puja conducted at the Namakkal Anjaneyar Temple before they were sent to Bengaluru. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, we found a video on YouTube that carried identical visuals. On reverse image search of keyframes, we could identify that the temple featured in the video is Namakkal Anjaneyar Temple.
For further details, we ran a relevant keyword search regarding the claim, which led us to a news report by The Hindu on 14 December 2023. According to The Hindu and other news reports (CNBC-TV18, CNN News18), in November 2023, Rajendra Prasad, a devotee from Bengaluru, placed an order for the manufacturing of 48 bells at Andal Moulding Works, located on Mohanur Road in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu. These bells were intended for installation in the newly built Ram Mandir. The company delivered 42 bells weighing a total of 1,200 kg. Subsequently, a special puja was conducted at the Namakkal Anjaneyar Temple, and the bells were sent to Bengaluru. The viral video capturing the puja was recorded at Namakkal Anjaneyar Temple. These reports establish that BHEL Trichy is not associated with these bells.
During this search, we also came across a news report from The Economic Times stating that BHEL Trichy has a history of producing approximately 700 steel wheels for temple chariots in Tamil Nadu over the past 45 years. However, there are no reports of BHEL Trichy manufacturing bells for Ayodhya Ram Mandir.
To sum it up, these bells for Ayodhya Ram Mandir are manufactured by Andal Moulding Works in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu, not by BHEL Trichy.

created: January 2, 2024


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These banking regulations have been in effect for some time and have no connection to the G20 summit - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 13, 2023
A video asserting that the Reserve Bank of India has introduced fresh directives following the conclusion of the G20 summit is gaining traction on social media platforms. In the video, it is explained that the RBI has issued new guidelines pertaining to bank lockers, damaged currency notes, and the mandatory requirement of PAN for transactions exceeding 20 lakhs. Through this article let’s fact-check the claims made in this video.
Claim: RBI has introduced new guidelines pertaining to bank lockers, mutilated notes and making PAN mandatory for transactions, after the conclusion of G20 summit.
Fact: These guidelines have already been in  effect for quite some time now. While the guidelines related to bank lockers came into form from 01 January 2022, the guidelines for the exchange of mutilated/soiled notes of Rs. 200 & Rs. 2000 were in effect from September 2018. On the other hand, the CBDT has made PAN/Aadhaar mandatory for transactions involving 20 lakhs and above in May 2022. Thus, this establishes that the guidelines have no connection with the recently concluded G20 summit. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
All the regulations detailed in the viral video regarding bank lockers, damaged notes, and the mandatory use of PAN for transactions are accurate. However, it’s important to clarify that these rules have been in effect for quite some time and are unrelated to the recently concluded G20 summit.
Safe Lockers:
Pertaining to inoperative bank lockers, the RBI on 18 August 2021 issued new guidelines allowing the banks to break open a locker if it remains inoperative for a period of seven years and the locker-hirer cannot be located even if rent is being paid regularly.
The RBI guidelines say that the banks will give prior notice and reasonable time to the locker-hirer, before acting. These revised instructions shall come into force with effect from 01 January 2022, and be applicable to both new and existing safe deposit lockers.
However, due to a significant number of customers not having completed the agreement process and, in certain instances, banks failing to notify customers about the necessity of agreement renewal, along with the need to revise the Model Agreement established by the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) to fully align with the updated guidelines, the RBI, on 23 January 2023, extended the deadline for banks in a phased manner until  31 December  2023. According to this circular, by 30 June and 30 September, 50 percent and 75 percent, respectively, of existing customers should have signed the renewed agreements.
It is quite possible that this circular contributed to the misunderstanding that these were new regulations, as the deadline for the 75% target is this month end. However, it’s important to clarify that these regulations have been in effect for some time and are unrelated to the G20 summit.
Exchange of mutilated/soiled notes:
In September 2018, the RBI made amendments to the Reserve Bank of India (Note Refund) Rules, 2009, specifically regarding the exchange of soiled or mutilated 200 and 2000 rupee notes. These guidelines were introduced to establish a clear exchange policy for these new denominations.
While the previous rules detailed the exchange process for older denominations (such as Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000, and Rs 10,000), the updated rules incorporated the newly introduced denominations of Rs 200 and Rs 2000, taking into account their size differences.
As stated in the viral video, the new guidelines specify that in order to receive a full refund for a damaged Rs. 2000 note, the undivided area of the largest single piece of the note must be 88 square cm, and for a half refund, it should be 44 square cm. In the case of a damaged Rs. 200 note, the criteria for a full refund is 78 square cm, and for a half refund, it is 39 square cm.
The circular from September 2018 categorically states that the new guidelines will come into effect immediately, thereby contradicting the viral assertion that the RBI introduced these rules in response to the conclusion of the G20 summit.
Making PAN mandatory:
Pertaining to the guideline making PAN card mandatory for transactions involving 20 lahks and above, as asserted in the viral video the government in May 2022, has made quoting PAN or Aadhaar mandatory for withdrawals or deposits of ₹ 20 lakh or above from bank accounts, in a financial year.
However, this guideline was not issued by the RBI; instead, it was the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) that implemented this regulation. The purpose behind this amendment to the Income Tax Rules is to combat tax evasion associated with large cash transactions. Earlier, PAN is required for cash deposits of Rs. 50,000 or more per day.
The CBDT notified amendments in the Income Tax Rules, 1962 prescribing new transactions for obtaining and quoting PAN. Further as per the notification the new guidelines would take effect from May 26, 2022, thus, contradicting the viral claim that this is a newly introduced rule.
To sum it up, these banking regulations have been in effect for some time and have no connection to the G20 summit.

created: September 13, 2023


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These celebrities did not pledge such huge amounts in donations in the fight against COVID-19 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 5, 2021
Set of social media posts claiming that Tollywood film actor Pawan Kalyan, cricketers MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, AB De Villiers, and Hardik Pandya have donated Rs. 100, 800, 31.5, 47.5 & 98.7 crores to PM Care Funds respectively to purchase oxygen cylinders, are going viral. Let’s fact-check these claims.
Claim: Huge amounts in donation pledged by Pawan Kalyan, Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya & AB De Villiers to purchase oxygen cylinders.
Fact: There are no recent news reports or official announcements from these individuals pledging such huge amounts in donations. Everyone mentioned in the posts has contributed their part by donating some amount or fulfilling certain needs. However, the contributions are not as huge as is being claimed in these posts. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Pawan Kalyan:
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, earlier in March 2020,  Pawan Kalyan has donated Rs. 1 crore to PM care funds and Rs. 50 lakhs each to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Chief Minister Relief Funds. The actor himself announced this through his official Twitter account.
I will be donating Rs.1 crore to PM relief fund to support our https://t.co/83OmZ9biYX Sri @narendramodi ji,in turbulent times like this. His exemplary and inspiring leadership would truly bring  our country from this Corona pandemic.
Following this donation, there are no such similar announcements made by the actor in recent times. If at all he made such a huge donation of Rs. 100 crores, the entire media would have reported it. However, we could not find any news report stating that Pawan Kalyan has donated Rs. 100 crores to PM Care Funds. There is no such announcement made by Pawan Kalyan on his official social media accounts (here & here) also.
MS Dhoni:
Google search with keywords yielded multiple 2020 news articles which reported Dhoni’s one lakh contribution to a charitable trust in order to battle the corona pandemic. However, we could not find any reports stating that Dhoni has contributed Rs. 800 crores to deal with the oxygen crisis the country is facing. Search on his official social media accounts did not yield any such announcements.
Rohit Sharma:
Earlier in 2020, Rohit Sharma has donated Rs. 80 lakhs as his part in the fight against corona. Out of which Rs. 45 lakhs were donated to PM Cares Fund, Rs.25 lakhs to CM Relief Fund, and Rs. 5 lakhs each to two NGOs.
We need our country back on feet & the onus is on us. I’ve done my bit to donate 45lakhs to #PMCaresFunds, 25lakhs to #CMReliefFund Maharashtra, 5lakhs to @FeedingIndia and 5lakhs to #WelfareOfStrayDogs.Let’s get behind our leaders and support them @narendramodi @CMOMaharashtra
Following this, there are no such announcements made by Rohit Sharma, and there are no news reports available in this regard. There is no such information available on Rohit Sharma’s official social media accounts.
AB De Villiers:
As per a Times Now report, AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli would donate funds generated by auctioning memorabilia from IPL 2016 both in India & South Africa in the fight against coronavirus pandemic.
According to this article, Royal Challengers Bangalore, the IPL franchise ABD is part of has also promised financial assistance for infrastructure related to oxygen support in India’s fight against COVID-19. However, the article did not mention the quantum of the assistance. Apart from this contribution, we could not find any information stating that ABD donated Rs. 47.5 crores to India in the fight against coronavirus pandemic.
Hardik Pandya:
Google search with keywords yielded multiple news articles which reported the Pandya brothers’ recent announcement of donating 200 oxygen concentrators to hospitals in rural India in the fight against COVID-19.
However, except for the above-mentioned donations, we could not find any news article or social media posts from the Pandya brothers pledging assistance.
If at all these cricketers made such huge amounts of contributions, the entire media would have reported them. No such reports in this regard imply that these viral claims of contributions are not true. Earlier FACTLY has debunked similar claims regarding Virat Kohli and Dhoni.
In view of few foreign cricketers pledging financial assistance in India’s fight against COVID-19, misleading posts like these are being shared on social media platforms.
To sum it up, these celebrities did not pledge such huge amounts in donations in the fight against COVID-19.


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These details about daughters of BJP and RSS leaders marrying Muslim men are inaccurate - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 25, 2022
A post is being shared on social media claiming it as a list of BJP and right-wing Hindu organizations’ leaders whose daughters and relatives married Muslim men. This list includes BJP veteran leaders Murali Manohar Joshi, L.K. Advani and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: List of BJP and Hindu organizations’ leaders whose daughters and relatives got married to Muslim men.
Fact: The daughters of Murali Manohar Joshi and L.K. Advani did not get married to a Muslim man. Mohan Bhagwat does not have any niece with the name Urmila. This post links false names to the BJP and Hindu right-wing leaders and alleges that their daughters have married Muslim men. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
This post includes claims related to different persons. Let’s find out the truth in these claims one by one.
Claim 1: Murali Manohar Joshi’s daughter Renu Joshi married Shahnwaz Hussain
According to the Murali Manohar Joshi’s biography mentioned on the BJP’s official website, MM Joshi has two daughters named Priyamvada and Nivedita. Murali Manohar Joshi does not have a daughter with the name Renu Joshi. It is nowhere reported that Murali Manohar Joshi’s daughters  married Muslim men.
The rumour of Murali Manohar Joshi’s daughter marriage with Shahnawaz Hussain was doing rounds on social media since 2014.  This rumour has become even stronger after MM Joshi attended BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain’s Eid-Iftar party in 2018. Shahnawaz Hussain and his wife Renu Hussain had a love marriage and their story is covered by many media outlets. But Renu Hussain is not the daughter of MM Joshi. Earlier, FACTLY published a fact-check article debunking the same claim in 2019.
Claim 2: L.K. Advani’s daughter Roshini married Salim and his niece Pratibha married Hussain
As per the details mentioned on the BJP official website, L.K. Advani has two children named Pratibha and Jayant. Pratibha is the only daughter of L.K. Advani.
When we searched for further details about Pratibha Advani, we found that Pratibha Advani, a real estate marketing executive and a journalist married an Ahmedabad based Hotel executive Kailash Tadani. However, the couple parted ways after a few years of their marriage. It is nowhere reported that Pratibha Advani married a Muslim man named Salim or Hussain later. Also, we could not find any news article reporting that L.K. Advani’s niece married a Muslim man.
Claim 3: Subramanian Swamy’s daughter Suhasini married Nadim Haider
This is true. According to a news report by the ‘Jansatta’, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy’s daughter Suhasini married Nadeem Haider, the son of former Indian diplomat Salman Haider. Even on her every social media handle (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), we could see her name as Suhasini Haider.
Claim 4: Mohan Bhagwat Neice Urmila married Mohsin Akhtar:
In 2016, Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar married a Kashmiri based businessman named Mohsin Akthar Mir. After Urmila Mantodkar joined Congress in March 2019, several social media users shared that Urmila was a niece of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat. Urmila Matondkar, while speaking to the ‘India Today’, refuted these allegations and said that this story would have been better than a film script if it was true. Several news websites published articles reporting this Urmila Mantodkar’s clarification regarding this viral message in 2019. They can be seen here and here.
If Mohan Bhagwat’s niece married a Muslim man, several media agencies would have reported that information. But we could not find a single news report in this regard. We also could not find any details of Pravin Tagodia’s daughter.
To sum it up, these details about daughters of BJP and RSS leaders marrying Muslim men are inaccurate.


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These websites offering 50 GB free data plans amid the FIFA World Cup 2022 are fraudulent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 23, 2022
In the wake of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, several websites are offering free 50 GB data plans for all mobile networks to stream the World Cup matches with no interruption. A few such websites can be seen here, here, here and here. Let’s check the veracity of these free 50 GB internet plans being offered by these websites.
Claim: Websites offering free 50 GB internet plans amid the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Fact: All these websites offering free 50 GB data plans in the wake of the FIFA World Cup 2022 are fraudulent. On clicking the link provided on these dubious websites, it redirects to a page asking users to provide mobile number details to check whether the provided mobile number is eligible for the offer. Further, upon providing the mobile number details, it redirects to a page asking users to share the registration link till the blue bar displayed on the website turns full. These websites do not provide any free data plans for people. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On clicking the link provided on these websites, it redirects the user to another page asking the user to provide the mobile number details to check whether the user’s mobile number is eligible to receive and activate the free 50 GB data plan provided for three months.
Further, upon providing the mobile number details, it redirects to another page congratulating the user for receiving a 50 GB free data plan for three months. But it asks the users to share the registration link of the website with 12 friends or groups on WhatsApp to avail of the offer. These websites ask the users to share the registration link until the blue bar displayed on the website turns full. No such internet plan is activated on a few mobile numbers we provided on these websites.
Earlier, when similar dubious messages were shared on social media claiming that Jio is offering a 25GB free data plan amid the COVID-19 lockdown, several news websites published articles reporting them as fraudulent messages. They can be seen here and here. Jio Care through a tweet clarified to a user that Jio does not send any such free data plan messages to customers and said that all Jio offers related information will be transparently available in the ‘MyJio’ app or on their official website. A few fact-check articles published by FACTLY regarding similar dubious websites offering free laptops, mobiles and scholarships in the name of the government can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, these dubious websites offering 50 GB free internet plans amid the FIFA World Cup 2022 are fraudulent.

created: November 23, 2022


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These figures quoted by PM Modi and Nirmala Sitharaman are related to different variants of the PMAY - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 7, 2024
A video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman discussing the figures of houses constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (PMAY) is being circulated on social media. The post suggests that manipulated numbers regarding houses built under the scheme are being presented to the public. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The budget speeches by Prime Minister Modi and Nirmala Sitharaman indicate discrepancies in the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana figures.
Fact: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman provided details about the number of houses constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Grameen) while Prime Minister Modi’s comments covered homes built by the government for individuals in need, without specific classification into urban or rural areas. The combined number of houses under both Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin and Urban is approximately four crores. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Upon conducting a relevant keyword search related to the claim, we discovered that both speeches were delivered during the 2024 budget session in the parliament. After carefully listening to the speeches, we observed that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman provided details about the number of houses constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Grameen on 1 February 2024, while Prime Minister Modi’s comments on 5 February 2024 covered homes built by the government for individuals in need, without specific classification into urban or rural areas.
The finance minister during her budget speech said, “We are close to achieving the target of 3 crore under the rural housing scheme. Two crore more would be constructed in the next five years,”.
On the other hand, PM Modi stated that “Presently, four crore individuals from the economically backward sections are provided houses. A home provides renewed strength to one’s self-respect.”
Further investigation into the PMAY, both in rural (PMAY-G) and urban (PMAY-U) areas, the data reveals that 3.24 crore people have registered under PMAY-G. Funds have been sanctioned for 2.94 crore houses in rural areas, of which 2.55 crore are fully constructed. In urban areas, 118 lakh houses are sanctioned, 114 lakhs are in progress, and 80.02 lakh have been completed under PMAY-U. The combined number of houses under both Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin and Urban is approximately four crores.
To sum up, these figures quoted by PM Modi and Nirmala Sitharaman are related to different variants of the PMAY.

created: February 7, 2024


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These four images of PM Modi in different clothing were not taken on a single day - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 14, 2021
Multiple photos of PM Modi, through a social media post are being shared widely online claiming that PM Modi changed his clothes four times while meeting four people in a single day. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Images of PM Modi in four different clothes in a single day.
Fact: The images in the post were taken on four different days and not on the same day. Modi met UP CM Yogi Adityanath on 11 June, Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla on 10 June, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on 02 June and Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat on 07 June 2021. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Image 1:
When reverse image search was done on the image, twitter post by PMO India was found with the same image. This post says that the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath met PM Narendra Modi and the post was published on 11 June 2021. The same image was found in a post by the official Twitter handle of Yogi Adityanath on that same day. A news article published on 11 June 2021 says that Yogi Adityanath’s meeting at PM Modi’s residence lasted one hour.
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri @myogiadityanath met PM @narendramodi. pic.twitter.com/RMyYKf0BlR
Image 2:
When reverse image search was done on the image, twitter post by PMO India was found with the same image. This post says that Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla called on PM Narendra Modi and the post was published on 10 June 2021. A Twitter post by DD News Hindi also published the same image on the same exact day.
Manipur Governor @nheptulla Ji called on PM @narendramodi. pic.twitter.com/NumZx89gpe
Image 3:
When reverse image search was done on the image, a Twitter post by Himanta Biswa Sarma was found with the same image. This post says that in a message of gratitude, Himanta Biswa Sarma met the PM and took his blessings on that day, which, according to the post was on 02 June 2021. According to a news article, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first visit to the national capital after assuming office.
Gratitude 💐
His towering vision has taken India to glorious heights of prosperity. Assam has especially been a beneficiary of Prime Minister Sri @narendramodi’s generosity. It’s a great pride to be serving under him as CM of Assam.
Met Adarniya PM & took his blessings today. pic.twitter.com/RJccUij03q
Image 4:
When reverse image search was done on the image, Twitter post by PMO India was found with the same image. This post says that Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat called on PM Narendra Modi and this was published on 07 June 2021. According to a news article, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and apprised him of the COVID-19 situation in the state and the steps being taken by the state government to contain the spread of infection.
Uttarakhand CM Shri @TIRATHSRAWAT called on PM @narendramodi. pic.twitter.com/Cuue9PXTFJ
To sum it up, these four images of Modi in different clothing were not taken on a single day.


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These guidelines for reopening the schools were not issued by the Telangana Government - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 1, 2020
A list of guidelines is being shared widely on social media with a claim that these are meant for reopening the schools in Telangana for the Academic year 2020-21 and are issued by the Government. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Guidelines for reopening the schools in Telangana for the Academic year 2020-21.
Fact: The Telangana government has not issued any such guidelines for reopening the schools. In the order released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, it can be read that a decision on the re-opening of educational institutions will be taken in the month of July 2020. Also, the officials have clarified to ‘Times of India’ that they have not issued any such guidelines. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched about the guidelines mentioned in the post, no information was found about the Telangana government releasing such guidelines. In the recent order issued by the Telangana government regarding the extension of the lockdown till 30 June 2020, there is no mention of educational institutions or any other guidelines meant for them. In the order released by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 30 May 2020, it can be read that a decision on the re-opening of educational institutions will be taken in the month of July 2020.
Also, the officials have clarified to ‘Times of India’ that they have not issued any such guidelines. ‘PIB in Telangana’ has also tweeted the ‘Times of India’ tweet.
#FakeNewsAlert 📰🚨 https://t.co/YBZQARTNhL
To sum it up, these guidelines for reopening the schools were not issued by the Telangana Government.
Update (JUNE 02, 2020):
As the false guidelines for reopening the schools in Telangana went viral, Chitra Ramachandran, Spl. Chief Secretary of Higher Education clarified that no such guidelines about the reopening of schools in Telangana have been issued, and termed the message in circulation as fake.
Did you watch our new video?


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These guidelines about post-lockdown precautions were not issued by Police department - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 10, 2021
A message is being circulated on social media claiming it as the post-lockdown guidelines issued by the Police department for the safety of people in the country. These purported guidelines from the Police department advice people to follow a few precautionary measures like not wearing costly watches and chains, avoid travelling in crowded buses, instructing children to return home early among others. This post claims that Police have asked people to follow these guidelines at least for three months. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Post-lockdown guidelines issued by the Police Department for the safety of people in the country.
Fact: The guidelines shared in the post were not issued by any of the state police departments in the country. Mumbai Police through a tweet clarified that these guidelines were not issued by them and rated this message as fake. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether any state police department had issued these post-lockdown guidelines for people, we could not find any news report mentioning such guidelines from any of the state police departments in the country. If any state police department had issued such post-lockdown guidelines for people, several news websites would have published articles reporting this information. But, we could not find any such news article on the internet. Also, there are no such guidelines on the official website of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
When this message went viral on social media last year, Mumbai Police issued a clarification through a tweet on 07 June 2020. Mumbai Police had clarified that the message attributing to the Police department is fake, and they had not issued these post-lockdown guidelines for people.
These guidelines have not been issued by Mumbai Police. Please do not share or circulate this with incorrect credentials & always verify facts from official authorities.And please #Dial100 in case of any untoward experience. #BustFakeInformation pic.twitter.com/kyk9umEhTD
To sum it up, these guidelines mentioning the post-lockdown precautions for people were not issued by the police department.


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These images are actually of an animal bridge in Singapore, not Delhi-Mumbai Expressway - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 19, 2020
A post with a couple of images of an animal bridge on a highway is being widely shared on social media with the claim that these images are of India’s first animal bridge which is part of Delhi-Mumbai expressway. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Images of India’s first animal bridge which is part of Delhi-Mumbai expressway.
Fact:  The images in the post are actually of an animal bridge in Singapore which is a part of Bukit Timah Expressway which connects the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve. NHAI has just proposed construction of animal bridges on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, which is under construction. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search of the photos in the post led us to a Singapore based news agency’s article which carried the same images as in the post. According to the article, the 62-meter long animal bridge, first of its kind in Southeast Asia was constructed in 2013 as part of the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) in Singapore which connects the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve. However, the bridge was thrown open to common public for the first time in 2015 so as to give time for the plants to grow and the animals to get used to the bridge in the meantime.
Taking a cue from the article, we did a google search with relevant keywords which led us to a blog by Singapore government which talks about the bridge in the post as part of describing Singapore’s Sustainable Development Plans. Detailed information regarding the Eco link can be read here.  Video describing the highlights of the bridge can be seen here.
In the light of the National Highway Authority of India’s (NHAI) decision to construct India’s first-ever animal bridge on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway which is under construction, images like those in the post are being circulated across social media platforms with misleading claims.
To sum it up, images of an animal bridge in Singapore are falsely shared as those of India’s first animal bridge which is part of Delhi-Mumbai expressway.

created: October 19, 2020


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These images are not from Kailash Manasarovar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 18, 2020
A post with the image of the sculpture is being widely shared on social media with the claim that the image is from Kailash Manasarovar in China controlled Tibet. Whereas in another post (archived), image of a full moon is being shared with the claim that this image was captured near Kailash Manasarovar in China-controlled Tibet Through this article let’s verify the claim made in these posts.
Image of a sculpture and full moon from Kailash Manasarovar in China-controlled Tibet
Fact: The image of the sculpture is actually from Bandhavgarh National Park, MP whereas the image of the full moon is doing rounds on the internet for years. We could not find any credible source attributing the image to Kailash Manasarovar. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Image 1:
Reverse image search of the photo led us to the gallery section of the Bandhavgarh National Park official website in which the image of the same sculpture but without the green cover (algae) over it is featured. The blog of this park also features the same image of the sculpture in green cover but from a different angle. According to the description of the image, the sculpture is of Lord Vishu in a reclining position and the sculpture dates back to 10 century AD.
Further search led us to an article by natgeo in which the image of the sculpture without the green cover is featured. The description below the image reads “Halfway up the hill to Bandhavgarh Fort lies a gigantic statue of a reclining Vishnu, called Sheshaiya”.
The same image is also featured on threadreaderapp.com, which basically unrolls long Twitter threads and displays them on an easy to read page. The description of the image on the website also identifies the sculpture as rock-cut sculpture of SheshaShayi Vishnu in Bandhavgarh National Park. With all these, we can confirm that the image is not from Kailash Manasarovar.
Image 2:
Reverse image search of the photo led us to many social media posts and blog posts in which the same image is featured. On Reddit, the same image is featured with the title ‘A full moon in Norway’ and this image is uploaded on 29 August 2019. However, we found no credible source attributing this image to Norway.
The same image is uploaded on flickr, an American image hosting and video hosting website on 06 November 2016 with a caption ‘A Picture I liked’. Few other posts which shared the same image can be seen here and here.
We did not find any information associating this image with Kailash Manasarovar. With all this, we can say that this image is doing rounds on the internet since years and this image has nothing to do with Kailash Manasarovar.
To sum it up, the image of a sculpture is actually from Bandhavagarh National Park and the other one is a random image doing rounds on internet since a few years.

created: September 18, 2020


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These images are not of protests against COVID-19 vaccine trials in different parts of the world. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 8, 2020
A social media post with a few images of protests allegedly from London, Berlin and other places is being widely circulated with the claim that these protests are being held against the COVID-19 vaccine trails. Also, the post warns Indians against these vaccine trials. Through this article lets fact-check the claim made in the post.
Images of protests against COVID-19 vaccine trails from London, Berlin and other places
Fact: Images of protests against lockdown restrictions in UK & Germany and also an image of protest against the result of Presidential election in Belarus are being falsely shared as images of protests against COVID-19 vaccine trials in different parts of the world. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Image 1 (Berlin):
Reverse image search of this photo led us to a news article in which the same image is featured. According to the news article, the image was clicked during a protest near Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on 01 August 2020. The protest was held against the government restrictions amid corona pandemic. In the article, it is nowhere mentioned that the protests were held against the COVID-19 vaccine trials. News reports covering this protest can be seen here.
Image 2 (London):
Reverse image search of the photo led us to a stock image which closely resemblance with that of in the post. We can find similar building and flags in both the images. According to the description, the image was clicked on 16 August 2020 during a protest which is held in Minsk, Belarus against the results of the latest Presidential election.
Taking a cue from here, we searched on google with the keyword ‘Belarus Protests’ and found a news article which carried a similar image (different angle). According to the news article, the image was clicked during a protest in Minsk against the result of the Presidential election.
Image 3 (Germany):
Google search with the key words ‘Hamburg Protests’ led us to a news video which had visuals similar to those of the image in the post. The description below the video reads ‘Demonstration against the government and anti-corona measures in Hamburg’. The protest was live-streamed on 15 August 2020.
Image 4 (Germany):
Search on YouTube with the keywords ‘Freedom Gathering’ led us to a video which was uploaded on 18 August 2020. According to the description below the video, the gathering took place in Birmingham, UK. In this particular video, the speaker talks about the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions but not about the corona vaccine experimental trials.
Taking a cue from here, we searched on google with the keyword ‘Freedom Gathering’ and found news articles which reported this gathering. Also, according to these articles, these people are anti-mask protesters who gathered in Birmingham to rally against the government’s corona virus lockdown restrictions. These news articles can be read here and here.
Image 5 (Germany):
We could find the original source of this image.
To sum it up, images of protests against lockdown restrictions in UK, Germany and also an image of protest against the result of Presidential election in Belarus are being falsely shared as images of protests against COVID-19 vaccine trials.

created: September 8, 2020


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These images do not show the crowd gathering at Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 9, 2022
In the context of Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, a couple of images of a huge crowd gathering are being shared on social media claiming that it shows people welcoming Rahul Gandhi in Chanvali of Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Images of a huge crowd at Chanvali, Rajasthan supporting Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Fact: Images show a crowd gathering at the program of Pujya Dada Guru Maharaj’s holy Bhandara held on 03 December 2022 at Jay Gurudev Ashram, Mathura, UP. Moreover, Rahul Gandhi reached Chanvali, Rajasthan only on the evening of 04 December 2022. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We ran a reverse image search of these two viral images and found that the same images were already posted on the Facebook page of Pankaj Maharaj on 03 December 2022. As per the description, the images show the huge crowd gathered in the program of Pujya Dada Guru Maharaj’s holy Bhandara held on 03 December 2022 at Jaygurudev Ashram, Mathura, UP. Also, the visuals from the live stream of this event matched with that of viral images. They can be seen here and here.
Also, as per the official schedule of the Yatra and the media reports, Rahul Gandhi reached Chanvali only on the evening of 04 December 2022 and attended a public event.
Evidently, the visuals of the crowd at Rahul Gandhi’s meeting do not match with that of viral images.
To sum it up, the viral images do not show a crowd gathering at Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan.

created: December 9, 2022


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These images do not show the persons who made anti-Brahmin slogans on JNU walls - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 6, 2022
In the context of recent Anti-Brahmin slogan controversy at JNU, a photo collage carrying the images of 3 injured persons is being widely shared claiming that they’re the ones who made the anti-Brahmin slogans at JNU. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Images of people who made the anti-brahmin slogans on JNU walls recently.
Fact: The images in the viral post show members of Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) who were allegedly injured in a scuffle with ABVP when they were campaigning at the Delhi University for the upcoming program demanding the release of Prof. Saibaba & other political prisoners. The incident took place on 01 December 2022, and the injured were identified as Aksh Negi, DU bachelor’s student; Entmam-ul-Haque, law graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia etc. However, those responsible for the recent JNU anti-Brahmin slogans are yet to be identified and a probe has been ordered by University Administration. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We ran a reverse image search using the viral photo collage and found that the same images were shared on the Facebook page ‘Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)’ on 02 December 2022. As per the description, on the evening of 01 December, when the members of CASR, a joint front of nearly 36 organisations, were campaigning at the Delhi University for the upcoming program demanding the release of Prof. Saibaba & other political prisoners, then a scuffle broke out between the members of CASR and ABVP. As a result, the few students were injured. Injured were then admitted to Hindu Rao Hospital.
As per the media reports, two groups complained against each other at Maurice Nagar Police station. FIR copies can be seen here and here. Injured students were identified as Aksh Negi, DU bachelor’s student; Entmam-ul-Haque, law graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia. Other posts regarding this issue can be seen here and here
Moreover, as per the media reports, those who are responsible for recent JNU anti-Brahmin slogans are yet to be identified and a probe has been ordered by University Administration.
To sum it up, the viral images do not show persons responsible for Anti-Brahman slogans on JNU walls.

created: December 6, 2022


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These images do not show Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 2, 2020
A post carrying a set of images is being widely shared on social media platforms with the claim that these images are of the Ram Mandir which is being constructed in Ayodhya. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Images of Ram Mandir which is being constructed in Ayodhya.
Fact: The images actually show the main complex of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple which is under construction. The images have nothing to do with the Ram Temple which is being constructed in Ayodhya. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The reverse image search of the photos in the post led us to a news article dated 03 October 2020 which carried the same image. According to the article, the image is of the main complex of Kashi Vishwanath temple in UP which is under construction. In the article, it can be seen that the picture is attributed to ‘HT Photo’. This confirms that the image is not of the Ram Temple which is being constructed in Ayodhya.
We could not find any news articles or official government press releases sharing similar images attributing them to Ram Temple of Ayodhya. Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, which is the official trust set up by the government of India for the construction and management of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, through a tweet on 09 October 2020 shared few images related to the latest development of the construction of the temple which can be seen here.
Jai Shri Ram!
The work of shifting the carved stones from the workshop to the Mandir premises has started. The stones will be used in construction of Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Mandir. pic.twitter.com/Vn3P4IvLHk
As far as the latest development regarding the construction of the temple is concerned,  Nripendra Mishra, Chairman of the Ram Mandir Construction Committee on 31 October 2020 said that they are awaiting a report from IIT Chennai regarding the strength of the three pillars in the foundation of the temple.
To sum it up, these images are of Kashi Vishwanath Temple which is under construction. They are not related to Ayodhya Ram Mandir.

created: November 2, 2020


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These images do not show students of JNU - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 5, 2022
In the context of recent Anti-Brahmin slogan controversy at JNU, two images of a man wearing a saree is being shared on social media claiming that these images the kind of students in JNU who support the anti-Brahmin slogan issue. Let’s verify the claim made in the posts.
Claim: Images of the students in JNU who support the anti-Brahmin slogans in JNU.
Fact: Both the images are of a person named ‘Pushpak Sen’ from Kolkata. Sen, who identifies himself as non-binary, is an activist of Gender-neutral fashion. As per his LinkedIn Profile, Sen is not a student of JNU. Sen posted these two viral pics on his Instagram account stating that they were captured in Kolkata and Italy. Even though there is an LGBTQ group in JNU, the viral images are not related to it. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We ran a reverse image search using the viral images and found that both the images are of a Kolkata-based person named ‘Pushpak Sen’. The first image, posted on 22 May 2022, shows him standing at ‘The Lalit Great Eastern’ hotel in Kolkata.
Second image, posted on 11 December 2021 is taken at Polimoda, a private fashion school in Italy. According to Indian express and Telegraph India, he identifies himself as non-binary (an umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’). He actively promotes the idea of Gender-neutral fashion.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he is not a student of JNU, Delhi. As per the media reports, those who are responsible for recent JNU anti-Brahmin slogans are yet to be identified and a probe has been ordered by University Administration. Though there is an LGBTQ group and activism in JNU for their rights, these viral images are not related to them.
To sum it up, these viral images do not show students of JNU who support Anti-Brahman slogan controversy at JNU.

created: December 5, 2022


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These images of Elon Musk romancing with female humanoid robots are AI-Generated - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 5, 2023
A collage of images is being shared on social media claiming that it shows Tesla CEO Elon Musk dancing and romancing with female humanoid robots. Sharing the images, the post claims that Elon Musk and his company are in the final stage of making Robot wives and say that they are expected to roll out in the US market by September 2023. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Collage of images showing Elon Musk romancing and dancing with female humanoid robots.
Fact: All the images shared in the post are AI-Generated. The images were created by Guerrero Art, a Facebook handle that publishes artworks generated by using Artificial Intelligence. The images do not show Elon Musk romancing with female humanoid robots. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched the internet for the details of the images shared in the post using relevant keywords, we came across a news report from ‘France 24’ concerning the viral images of Elon Musk that are being shared on social media. ‘France 24’ stated that the viral images are AI-generated creations crafted by a digital artist named Guerrero Art.
When we searched for further sources, we found the same images in an archived Facebook post of Guerrero Art, published on the AI Art Universe Public Group on 03 May 2023. On the Instagram page of ‘Guerrero Art,’ the description identifies the individual as a digital creator who showcases artworks generated through the utilization of Artificial Intelligence. Guerrero Art shared the same images on his previous Instagram handle art_is_2_inspire.
Using Artificial Intelligence, Guerrero Art generated similar images depicting Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg engaging in romantic encounters with female robots.
The tech company Tesla, owned by Musk, is currently engaged in the development of an autonomous humanoid robot, Tesla Bot, with the capability of performing unsafe, repetitive, and boring tasks. However, their website does not mention any plans to create humanoid robot wives.
To sum it up, these images of Elon Musk romancing and dancing with female humanoid robots are AI-Generated.


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These images of prosthetic fingers are from Japan and are not related to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 1, 2024
In the wake of the 2024 general elections, there is a lot of discussion on social media about bogus, fake votes and rigging. In this context, several posts (here, here, and here) accompanied by a collage of images showing fake or prosthetic fingers lying on a table are being widely shared across social media platforms with the claim that these show how fake fingers are being used for voting fraud during the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. In this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Prosthetic or artificial fingers being made to cast fake votes in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Fact: The artificial or prosthetic fingers shown in the viral images have no connection with the ongoing 2024 general elections. These viral photos depict the manufacturing of artificial or prosthetic fingers in Japan. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To verify the accuracy of the viral claim, we conducted a relevant keyword search on the internet. However, we could not find any news reports about prosthetic or artificial fingers being made to cast fake votes in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections. During this search, we also came across an ‘India Today’ article published in March 2017, which reported that a political party had placed a large purchase for silicone fingers ahead of the Uttar Pradesh elections in March 2017.
Furthermore, during our investigation, we discovered that these images had previously gone viral with the same claim during the 2019 General Elections (here & here). Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr. S. Y. Qureshi, also shared these images on his X (Twitter) (archived link) in 2017 with the caption “someone sent this!”
To learn more about these viral images, we conducted a Google reverse image search. This search led us to an article titled “How fake pinkies help Japanese Gangsters,” published on a website named ‘Deceptology’ in 2014, featuring one of the viral images. The article shares details of a doctor named ‘Shintaro Hayashi’ who makes silicone body parts for patients with breast cancer, or legs and arms for those injured in serious accidents.
In this search, we came across a fact-checking article published by AFP in 2019 when these photos went viral with the same claim in 2019. According to this article, the other viral photo was taken from an article published on the personal website of Japanese American journalist Akiko Fujita. This article is based on a 2013 ABC News Media report titled ‘Prosthetic Fingers Help Reform Japan’s Feared Yakuza Gangsters.’ An archived version of the article published on Akiko Fujita’s website on 16 December 2013, can be found here.
The article published on the ‘ABC news’ website in June 2013 states that a stunted pinkie signifies membership in the yakuza, the Japanese mafia. In a ritual known as “yubitsume,” yakuza members are required to chop off their own digits to atone for serious offences. The left pinkie (little finger) is usually the first to go, though repeated offences call for further severing. As a result, those who leave the yakuza have a hard time finding work because of the stigma attached to missing fingers. Dr. Shintaro Hayashi makes silicone prosthetic fingers for former yakuza members. The prosthetic fingers he makes cost about $3,000 each, and they are carefully painted to match the client’s exact skin tone. Former yakuza members make up to 5% of Hayashi’s business. Based on this information, we can confirm that this viral photo shows artificial fingers prepared in Japan and is not associated with the ongoing 2024 Indian general elections.
To sum up, these images of prosthetic fingers are from Japan and have no connection with the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections.


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These images showing PM Modi visiting Pope Francis in a Taxi, are morphed - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 1, 2021
A collage of a couple of images is being widely shared through a post claiming that PM Modi visited Pope Francis, travelling in a taxi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Rome for the G20 summit, on the sidelines he met Pope Francis on 30 October 2021 in the Vatican. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Images showing PM Modi’s visit to Pope Francis in a taxi.
Fact: The images were morphed to make them look like PM Modi visited Pope Francis in a Taxi. In the first image, the taxi nameplate on the first image can be clearly seen superimposed on the original image. In the second image, below the number plate of the car, a fake taxi plate was embedded. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Rome for the G20 summit, on the sidelines, he met Pope Francis on 30 October 2021 in the Vatican. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the images, similar images tweeted (here and here) by ANI were found. The tweets confirm that the images were clicked as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Pope Francis. However, the images are not the same as in the tweets. There is also a video uploaded by ANI on their YouTube channel, where the images in the post are different from the frames in the video.
Upon closer observation, the taxi nameplate on the first image can be clearly seen superimposed on the original image by ANI. When compared with the rest of the image, the ‘Taxi’ plate on top of the car is brighter in contrast.
In the second image, below the number plate of the car, a fake taxi plate was embedded. When compared with the original image, it can be seen that the image had been edited.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Rome for the G20 summit, on the sidelines, he met Pope Francis on 30 October 2021 in the Vatican. Modi had invited Pope Francis to visit India.
To sum it up, these images showing PM Modi visiting Pope Francis in a Taxi are edited.

created: November 1, 2021


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These Instagram videos contain inaccurate information about various government programs - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 1, 2024
Numerous Instagram handles (here, here and here) are widely promoting various Government initiatives, such as providing loans, incentives, and benefits for women, children, the unemployed, pregnant women, etc., under various schemes like PM Awas Yojana, Berojgari Bhatta Yojana, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, PM Vishwakarma Yojana, etc. This article aims to verify the authenticity of these claims.
Category 1- Misleading information about government schemes:
A series of widely circulated videos on Instagram claim to provide information about government schemes. However, the details shared in the videos are often incomplete or misleading, such as implying that state-related schemes apply nationwide, providing improper eligibility criteria, and misrepresenting benefits. For example, one video claims that the Indian Government provides ₹500 daily to eligible citizens under the Berojgari Bhatta Yojana.
However, upon investigation, we found that no central government scheme by this name offers unemployment allowances. Previously, on multiple occasions when similar messages went viral, the Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Unit refuted the claim, stating that the government does not offer any unemployment allowance under the name PM Berojgari Bhatta Yojana (as seen here, here, and here). While the Union government does not have a nationwide unemployment scheme titled “(PM) Berojgari Bhatta Yojana,” states such as Haryana, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal, among others, have similar schemes for unemployed youths in their respective states. Also, contrary to the claim made in the post, the allowance is not ₹500 per day but ranges between ₹1000 to ₹3000 per month based on the state and the eligibility criteria.
दावा –  एक व्हाट्सएप मैसेज में यह दावा किया गया है कि  'प्रधानमंत्री बेरोजगार भत्ता योजना' के अंतर्गत भारत सरकार सभी बेरोजगारों को प्रतिमाह ₹ 3500 दे रही है#PIBFactCheck: किया गया दावा और दिया गया ब्लॉग लिंक फर्जी है| भारत सरकार द्वारा ऐसी कोई योजना नहीं चलाई जा रही है pic.twitter.com/27yluwbpdq
Similarly, another video (archive) claims that the Central Government is providing ₹1000 to every woman under the scheme ‘Mahtari Vandana Yojana.’ However, this scheme is launched by the Chhattisgarh Government, and only eligible married women belonging to Chhattisgarh will receive the financial assistance of ₹1000 per month.
Likewise, several videos are misleading users about alleged government schemes like Aadhaar-based loans, free money for women/children etc. FACTLY has previously debunked several such claims. They can be read here, here, and here.
Category 2- Misleading Redirects to Suspicious Websites:
Another set of videos is being shared claiming that to apply for a particular government scheme/job, one needs to apply through a website mentioned in the video. These websites, which are usually random blogs, though sometimes they provide the official link for the said scheme, mostly redirect users to suspicious websites that could pose a threat to users by stealing their data or injecting malicious software into users’ devices.
FACTLY has previously debunked that no such scheme has been introduced by the Indian Government. Moreover, the above website redirects users to random third-party websites which could lead to potential cybersecurity breaches.
#PIBFACTCHECK:
वायरल वीडियो में दावा किया जा रहा है कि केंद्र सरकार की "एक परिवार एक नौकरी योजना" के अनुसार हर परिवार के एक सदस्य को सरकारी नौकरी दी जाएगी |
यह दावा झूठा है | केंद्र सरकार की ऐसी कोई भी योजना नहीं है |#fakenews alert ! pic.twitter.com/fQ2N1OxRd9
Another video (archive) claims that the Indian Government is giving ₹4 Lakh for every girl child who has a ration card under the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana scheme and that to apply for this, the user needs to go to the website of neemuchmandi.in. However, while there exists a scheme named Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana launched by the Government of India in 2015, it is a government-backed savings scheme targeted at the parents of the girl child. The scheme encourages parents to build a fund for the future education of their female child. Moreover, the website mentioned in the viral video doesn’t provide any link to the official website but rather redirects to other pages on the same website thus misleading the users.
Category 3- Unauthorized Collection of Personal Data from Users:
Another set of videos is being shared claiming that they help users in registration, and application for a particular scheme or job. While the video does not explicitly mention what scheme it is referring to, users were asked to comment ‘Yes,’ ‘State Name,’ ‘Age of the family member,’ ‘City Name,’ etc. to get help in applying for the scheme/Job. This could lead to leakage of personal details online, which can have several harmful consequences.
For example, one such video (archive) claims that the Modi Government is giving everyone Rs. 2,50,000. This video didn’t mention any details of the scheme but rather asked users to comment ‘Yes’ in the comments to get help in filling out the form. Similarly, there are instances where some users have mentioned their phone numbers and personal details in the comments of such videos.
In our investigation, we discovered that most of these Instagram handles were newly created in early 2024 or late 2023. They have swiftly gained traction as a prevailing trend aimed at driving traffic to their blogs and YouTube channels by misleading social media users. Repeatedly, government officials and cybersecurity experts have cautioned users against divulging personal information such as phone numbers, names, or ID card details online due to the grave risk of falling victim to cyberfraud.
To sum it up, many misleading Instagram videos circulate, disseminating inaccurate information about various government programs.