#FactCheck - Deepfake Video Falsely Claims visuals of a massive rally held in Manipur
Executive Summary:
A viral online video claims visuals of a massive rally organised in Manipur for stopping the violence in Manipur. However, the CyberPeace Research Team has confirmed that the video is a deep fake, created using AI technology to manipulate the crowd into existence. There is no original footage in connection to any similar protest. The claim that promotes the same is therefore, false and misleading.
Claims:
A viral post falsely claims of a massive rally held in Manipur.
Fact Check:
Upon receiving the viral posts, we conducted a Google Lens search on the keyframes of the video. We could not locate any authentic sources mentioning such event held recently or previously. The viral video exhibited signs of digital manipulation, prompting a deeper investigation.
We used AI detection tools, such as TrueMedia and Hive AI Detection tool, to analyze the video. The analysis confirmed with 99.7% confidence that the video was a deepfake. The tools identified "substantial evidence of manipulation," particularly in the crowd and colour gradience , which were found to be artificially generated.
Additionally, an extensive review of official statements and interviews with Manipur State officials revealed no mention of any such rally. No credible reports were found linking to such protests, further confirming the video’s inauthenticity.
Conclusion:
The viral video claims visuals of a massive rally held in Manipur. The research using various tools such as truemedia.org and other AI detection tools confirms that the video is manipulated using AI technology. Additionally, there is no information in any official sources. Thus, the CyberPeace Research Team confirms that the video was manipulated using AI technology, making the claim false and misleading.
- Claim: Massive rally held in Manipur against the ongoing violence viral on social media.
- Claimed on: Instagram and X(Formerly Twitter)
- Fact Check: False & Misleading
Related Blogs
Executive Summary
A video widely circulated on social media claims to show a confrontation between a Zee News journalist and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi during the Indian Army’s Annual Press Briefing 2026. The video alleges that General Dwivedi made sensitive remarks regarding ‘Operation Sindoor’, including claims that the operation was still ongoing and that diplomatic intervention by former US President Donald Trump had restricted India’s military response. Several social media users shared the clip while questioning the Indian Army’s operational decisions and demanding accountability over the alleged remarks. The CyberPeace concludes that the viral video claiming to show a discussion between a Zee News journalist and Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on ‘Operation Sindoor’ is misleading and digitally manipulated. Although the visuals were sourced from the Indian Army’s Annual Press Briefing 2026, the audio was artificially created and added later to misinform viewers. The Army Chief did not make any remarks regarding diplomatic interference or limitations on military action during the briefing.
Claim:
An X (formerly Twitter) user, Abbas Chandio (@AbbasChandio__), shared the video on January 14, asserting that it showed a Zee News journalist questioning the Army Chief about the status and outcomes of ‘Operation Sindoor’ during a recent press conference. In the clip, the journalist is purportedly heard challenging the Army Chief over his earlier statement that the operation was “still ongoing,” while the COAS is allegedly heard responding that diplomatic intervention during the conflict limited the Army’s ability to pursue further military action. Here is the link and archive link to the post, along with a screenshot.
The reverse image search also directed to an extended version of the footage uploaded on the official YouTube channel of India Today. The original video was identified as coverage from the Indian Army’s Annual Press Conference 2026, held on January 13 in New Delhi and addressed by COAS General Upendra Dwivedi. Upon reviewing the original press briefing footage, CyberPeace found no instance where a Zee News journalist questioned the Army Chief about ‘Operation Sindoor’. There was also no mention of the statements attributed to General Dwivedi in the viral clip.
In the authentic footage, journalist Anuvesh Rath was seen raising questions related to defence procurement and modernization, not military operations or diplomatic interventions. Here is the link to the original video, along with a screenshot.
To further verify the claim, CyberPeace extracted the audio track from the viral video and analysed it using the AI-based voice detection tool Aurigin. The analysis revealed that the voice heard in the clip was artificially generated, indicating the use of synthetic or manipulated audio. This confirmed that while genuine visuals from the Army’s official press briefing were used, a fabricated audio track had been overlaid to falsely attribute controversial statements to the Army Chief and a Zee News journalist.
Conclusion
The CyberPeace concludes that the viral video claiming to show a discussion between a Zee News journalist and Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on ‘Operation Sindoor’ is misleading and digitally manipulated. Although the visuals were sourced from the Indian Army’s Annual Press Briefing 2026, the audio was artificially created and added later to misinform viewers. The Army Chief did not make any remarks regarding diplomatic interference or limitations on military action during the briefing. The video is a clear case of digital manipulation and misinformation, aimed at creating confusion and casting doubts over the Indian Army’s official position.
Executive Summary:
Old footage of Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in September 2023 was being promoted as footage of Virat Kohli at the Ram Mandir Inauguration. A video of cricketer Virat Kohli attending a Ganesh Chaturthi celebration last year has surfaced, with the false claim that it shows him at the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22. The Hindi newspaper Dainik Bhaskar and Gujarati newspaper Divya Bhaskar also displayed the now-viral video in their respective editions on January 23, 2024, escalating the false claim. After thorough Investigation, it was found that the Video was old and it was Ganesh Chaturthi Festival where the cricketer attended.
Claims:
Many social media posts, including those from news outlets such as Dainik Bhaskar and Gujarati News Paper Divya Bhaskar, show him attending the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22, where after investigation it was found that the Video was of Virat Kohli attending Ganesh Chaturthi in September, 2023.
The caption of Dainik Bhaskar E-Paper reads, “ क्रिकेटर विराट कोहली भी नजर आए ”
Fact Check:
CyberPeace Research Team did a reverse Image Search of the Video where several results with the Same Black outfit was shared earlier, from where a Bollywood Entertainment Instagram Profile named Bollywood Society shared the same Video in its Page, the caption reads, “Virat Kohli snapped for Ganapaati Darshan” the post was made on 20 September, 2023.
Taking an indication from this we did some keyword search with the Information we have, and it was found in an article by Free Press Journal, Summarizing the article we got to know that Virat Kohli paid a visit to the residence of Shiv Sena leader Rahul Kanal to seek the blessings of Lord Ganpati. The Viral Video and the claim made by the news outlet is false and Misleading.
Conclusion:
The recent Claim made by the Viral Videos and News Outlet is an Old Footage of Virat Kohli attending Ganesh Chaturthi the Video back to the year 2023 but not of the recent auspicious day of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha. To be noted that, we also confirmed that Virat Kohli hadn’t attended the Program; there was no confirmation that Virat Kohli attended on 22 January at Ayodhya. Hence, we found this claim to be fake.
- Claim: Virat Kohli attending the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22
- Claimed on: Youtube, X
- Fact Check: Fake
Introduction
Generative AI, particularly deepfake technology, poses significant risks to security in the financial sector. Deepfake technology can convincingly mimic voices, create lip-sync videos, execute face swaps, and carry out other types of impersonation through tools like DALL-E, Midjourney, Respeecher, Murf, etc, which are now widely accessible and have been misused for fraud. For example, in 2024, cybercriminals in Hong Kong used deepfake technology to impersonate the Chief Financial Officer of a company, defrauding it of $25 million. Surveys, including Regula’s Deepfake Trends 2024 and Sumsub reports, highlight financial services as the most targeted sector for deepfake-induced fraud.
Deepfake Technology and Its Risks to Financial Systems
India’s financial ecosystem, including banks, NBFCs, and fintech companies, is leveraging technology to enhance access to credit for households and MSMEs. The country is a leader in global real-time payments and its digital economy comprises 10% of its GDP. However, it faces unique cybersecurity challenges. According to the RBI’s 2023-24 Currency and Finance report, banks cite cybersecurity threats, legacy systems, and low customer digital literacy as major hurdles in digital adoption. Deepfake technology intensifies risks like:
- Social Engineering Attacks: Information security breaches through phishing, vishing, etc. become more convincing with deepfake imagery and audio.
- Bypassing Authentication Protocols: Deepfake audio or images may circumvent voice and image-based authentication systems, exposing sensitive data.
- Market Manipulation: Misleading deepfake content making false claims and endorsements can harm investor trust and damage stock market performance.
- Business Email Compromise Scams: Deepfake audio can mimic the voice of a real person with authority in the organization to falsely authorize payments.
- Evolving Deception Techniques: The usage of AI will allow cybercriminals to deploy malware that can adapt in real-time to carry out phishing attacks and inundate targets with increased speed and variations. Legacy security frameworks are not suited to countering automated attacks at such a scale.
Existing Frameworks and Gaps
In 2016, the RBI introduced cybersecurity guidelines for banks, neo-banking, lending, and non-banking financial institutions, focusing on resilience measures like Board-level policies, baseline security standards, data leak prevention, running penetration tests, and mandating Cybersecurity Operations Centres (C-SOCs). It also mandated incident reporting to the RBI for cyber events. Similarly, SEBI’s Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framework (CSCRF) applies to regulated entities (REs) like stock brokers, mutual funds, KYC agencies, etc., requiring policies, risk management frameworks, and third-party assessments of cyber resilience measures. While both frameworks are comprehensive, they require updates addressing emerging threats from generative AI-driven cyber fraud.
Cyberpeace Recommendations
- AI Cybersecurity to Counter AI Cybercrime: AI-generated attacks can be designed to overwhelm with their speed and scale. Cybercriminals increasingly exploit platforms like LinkedIn, Microsoft Teams, and Messenger, to target people. More and more organizations of all sizes will have to use AI-based cybersecurity for detection and response since generative AI is becoming increasingly essential in combating hackers and breaches.
- Enhancing Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): With improving image and voice-generation/manipulation technologies, enhanced authentication measures such as token-based authentication or other hardware-based measures, abnormal behaviour detection, multi-device push notifications, geolocation verifications, etc. can be used to improve prevention strategies. New targeted technological solutions for content-driven authentication can also be implemented.
- Addressing Third-Party Vulnerabilities: Financial institutions often outsource operations to vendors that may not follow the same cybersecurity protocols, which can introduce vulnerabilities. Ensuring all parties follow standardized protocols can address these gaps.
- Protecting Senior Professionals: Senior-level and high-profile individuals at organizations are at a greater risk of being imitated or impersonated since they hold higher authority over decision-making and have greater access to sensitive information. Protecting their identity metrics through technological interventions is of utmost importance.
- Advanced Employee Training: To build organizational resilience, employees must be trained to understand how generative and emerging technologies work. A well-trained workforce can significantly lower the likelihood of successful human-focused human-focused cyberattacks like phishing and impersonation.
- Financial Support to Smaller Institutions: Smaller institutions may not have the resources to invest in robust long-term cybersecurity solutions and upgrades. They require financial and technological support from the government to meet requisite standards.
Conclusion
According to The India Cyber Threat Report 2025 by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and Seqrite, deepfake-enabled cyberattacks, especially in the finance and healthcare sectors, are set to increase in 2025. This has the potential to disrupt services, steal sensitive data, and exploit geopolitical tensions, presenting a significant risk to the critical infrastructure of India.
As the threat landscape changes, institutions will have to continue to embrace AI and Machine Learning (ML) for threat detection and response. The financial sector must prioritize robust cybersecurity strategies, participate in regulation-framing procedures, adopt AI-based solutions, and enhance workforce training, to safeguard against AI-enabled fraud. Collaborative efforts among policymakers, financial institutions, and technology providers will be essential to strengthen defenses.
Sources
- https://sumsub.com/newsroom/deepfake-cases-surge-in-countries-holding-2024-elections-sumsub-research-shows/
- https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/10/31/2972565/0/en/Deepfake-Fraud-Costs-the-Financial-Sector-an-Average-of-600-000-for-Each-Company-Regula-s-Survey-Shows.html
- https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/2023-05/For%20Publication_BOfA_PollardCartier.pdf
- https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/04/asia/deepfake-cfo-scam-hong-kong-intl-hnk/index.html
- https://www.rbi.org.in/Commonman/English/scripts/Notification.aspx?Id=1721
- https://elplaw.in/leadership/cybersecurity-and-cyber-resilience-framework-for-sebi-regulated-entities/
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/ai-driven-deepfake-enabled-cyberattacks-to-rise-in-2025-healthcarefinance-sectors-at-risk-report/articleshow/115976846.cms?from=mdr
