Several pro-Iran and pro-Pakistan accounts on X circulated a video of a massive fire in a Delhi fish market, falsely claiming that it shows an attack on an India-Israel drone facility in Delhi that triggered a huge explosion.
BOOM found that the video is from a Press Trust of India (PTI) report showing a fire near Machhli Mandi in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area on the intervening night of March 11–12.
As the conflict in West Asia enters its third week, the video is circulating to target India's alleged closeness to Israel. BOOM has debunked multiple AI visuals alleging Indians were caught in Bahrain and Tehran while passing information to Israeli intelligence agency Mossad as espionage.
Pro-Iran X handles @IBN_Now, @GP_Presss and Pro-Pakistan X handles @SajidShuqran888, @UnsaFatima_, @MehboobNagari among others, peddled the video with the same misleading claim.
The Claim
The video was posted with the caption, "BIG BREAKING Naxalites have reportedly attacked an India-Israel drone facility in Delhi, triggering a massive explosion & fire that has engulfed the entire complex. Sources suggest at least 50 workers, including Indian & Israeli personnel killed."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
What We Found: Video Shows Fire At Fish Market In Uttam Nagar, Delhi
1. News Coverage Of The Fire Incident: The video carries a logo of news agency PTI. Taking a cue, we ran a related keyword search and found that the same video was posted from PTI’s verified X handle on March 12, 2026.
The news agency shared the video, crediting a third party as the source, with the caption, "Delhi: Massive fire breaks out in Uttam Nagar near Machhli Mandi. Firefighting operations underway. More details are awaited."
Click here for an archived version of the report.
Several other outlets, including news agency ANI, reported on the fire incident. On March 12, 2026, ANI, quoting the Delhi Fire Service, reported that the fire which broke out in the fish market in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar destroyed around 300 to 400 slums. It added that 23 fire engines brought the blaze under control after hours of effort, with no reports of casualties so far.
2. Confirmation From Delhi Police: BOOM reached out to a senior Delhi Police official who dismissed the claim and clarified that the fire broke out at a slum in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area, not at any drone facility as being alleged.
The Ministry of External Affairs also debunked the claim and urged social media users to remain cautious and alert against false information circulating online.
