A photograph of pilot Sahil Madaan is being shared on social media, falsely identifying him as Captain Sumit Kapur, who died in the plane crash near Baramati, Maharashtra, that also killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
BOOM found that the man in the viral photo is pilot Sahil Madaan, who is currently working with VSR Ventures Private Limited, the same aviation company whose aircraft was involved in the crash.
On January 28, 2026, a private jet crashed near Baramati airport in Maharashtra, killing all five people on board, including DCM Pawar. The other victims were his security officer Videep Jadhav, pilot Captain Sumit Kapur, co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, and flight attendant Pinky Mali.
The Claim: Photo shows Captain Sumit Kapur, who died in the Baramati plane crash with DCM Ajit Pawar
The viral photograph is being shared on social media by news outlets claiming it shows Captain Sumit Kapur, the pilot who died in the Baramati plane crash. DNA India shared the photo on Instagram claiming that it is late Captain Kapur.
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What We Found:
1) Details about Captain Sumit Kapur
BOOM found multiple news reports detailing Captain Kapur’s career and professional background. A resident of Delhi, Kapur was associated with VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd and had logged over 20,000 hours of flying experience. He had previously worked with Sahara Airlines and Jet Airways, where he served as a Boeing 737 examiner.
BOOM found a Times of India report dated January 30 that covered Captain Kapur’s funeral at the Punjabi Bagh crematorium in Delhi, where over 150 relatives and close friends were present. The report included a photograph of the 62-year-old pilot, which does not match the viral image, as the person in the viral photo appears significantly younger than Kapur.
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Additionally, BOOM reached out to a journalist from Delhi who did not wish to be named and verified that the photograph of Kapur was released by his family.
We also found a comment on DNA’s Instagram post by the handle @sanjamsahnimakeupartist, in which the user identified herself as the wife of pilot Sahil Madaan and clarified that her husband’s photograph was being falsely misidentified as Kapur, and that he was not on the aircraft.
BOOM reached out to Sahni for a response, the article will be updated on receiving one.
2) Photo of pilot Sahil Madaan
A reverse image search of the viral photo led us to Captain Sahil Madaan’s LinkedIn profile, where the same image is used. His profile states that he has been working with VSR Ventures Private Limited for the past two years.
BOOM has also reached out to Madaan for a response.
