A video purportedly a news clipping of Republic Bharat is viral claiming the Pakistan army shot down an Indian jet involved in India's retaliatory military attack in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, monikered Operation Sindoor.
BOOM found that the video is doctored using several different clippings from an accidental crash of an Indian jet in Jamnagar, Gujarat on April 2, 2025. We were also able to confirm that Republic Bharat did not air the viral video, and the logo has been added to make the false claim that it is a news report.
In the wee hours of May 7, 2025, India launched airstrikes on several locations in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian government in a joint presser with the defence forces have said nine sites involved in terrorist attacks against India have been destroyed.
Unverified reports suggest Pakistani forces shot down Indian jets in a retaliatory strike, but no official confirmation has been issued as of publication of this story.
A Pakistani X handle Islamabad Insider shared the video with the claim, "BREAKING: Pakistan Air Force J-10C has shot down an Indian Jaguar with a long-range PL-15 missile. Indian media confirms the loss. This marks the fifth Indian jet downed by the PAF."
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Fact Check
BOOM found that the video is a compilation of two clippings and one image, all dating back to April 2, 2025, when an Indian Air Force jet crashed in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
We found the same visuals as in the viral video published on April 2, 2025, by several media outlets including in The Times of India and India Today.
According to the media reports, the visuals show the wreckage from the crash of an IAF Jaguar, a fighter jet, in an open field of Suvarda village in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The report also named 28-year-old Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav as a casualty in the accidental crash.
We also found a video news reports published on April 3, 2025, by WION and The New Indian Express carrying the same visuals as in the viral video.
We also found that the viral video has been superimposed onto a May 2, 2025, Republic Bharat show about India's diplomatic measures to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Audio is likely AI generated
BOOM also analysed the video's audio using AI detection tools such as Hiya and DeepFake-o-meter, which indicated that the audio is likely AI-generated.
Also Read:News Outlets Misreport Old Video As Recent Fire At Lahore International Airport
Video captures the damage caused by the Indian Armed Forces in Sialkot, Pakistan.
The video is old and unrelated. It was recorded in Chile and shows a widlfire reported in the region in February 2024.
Claim: Video shows the destruction of Karachi Port by the Indian Naval Ship Vikrant in the ongoing military escalations between India and Pakistan.
Fact: BOOM found the video is from January earlier this year, when a medical plane crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, 2025.
Claim: A photo shows the capture of a Pakistan Air Force pilot in India, amidst escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
Fact: BOOM found that the image is from December 12, 2016, when a Turkish F-16 fighter jet crashed near an airport in the city of Diyarbakir.
Read the fact-check here.
Claim: Pakistan agrees that they lost two fighter jets
Fact: BOOM found that the video is a deepfake where the voice is AI generated and the lip movements do not match with the audio.
Claim: Video shows an Indian airstrike in Sialkot, Pakistan
Fact: BOOM found that the viral video is from Mumbai, Maharashtra where a massive fire broke out on March 24, 2025 after an LPG gas leak from cooking gas cylinders. The fire caused no injuries but left the truck carrying the cylinders to explode, leading to panic among locals. The viral video does not show visuals from India's strikes on Sialkot, Pakistan.
Claim: Photo shows a notice issued by the UGC announcing the cancellation of all its examinations due to the recent India-Pakistan conflict.
Fact: BOOM found that a viral notice circulating on social media, which claims that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has cancelled all exams due to the India-Pakistan conflict and Operation Sindoor, is fake. The UGC has in statement denied any such order.
Claim: Video shows an Indian Air Force pilot injured after his jet was shot down by Pakistan as retaliatory action to India's Operation Sindoor.
Fact: BOOM found that the viral video is from February 2019, when IAF's two Surya Kiran Aerobatic team planes collided mid air and crashed in Bengaluru. The crash left both pilots injured, with one of them seen in the video rescued by locals.
Claim: Video shows Indian Air Force pilot involved in Indian Army's military 'Operation Sindoor' against Pakistan, being rescued by locals.
Fact: BOOM found that the viral video is falsely being linked to Operation Sindoor. The video is from February 2025 when an Indian Air Force Mirage-2000 fighter jet crashed in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district. Visuals show the pilot in the crash being rescued by locals after his safe ejection.