#FactCheck : Old images of US sailors falsely linked to ongoing Iran tensions
Executive Summary
After Donald Trump said that US Navy ships would soon begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, several old images resurfaced on social media with claims that they show American sailors recently captured by Iran amid the ongoing Middle East tensions. Research by CyberPeace found that the viral posts are misleading. The images being circulated are nearly a decade old and have no connection to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.
Claim:
Posts circulating on Facebook alleged that Iran had captured 10 US Navy personnel — nine men and one woman — and detained them at a military base on Farsi Island. The caption further claimed that the incident was reported by Iranian official Ali Larijani and denied by Donald Trump.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1381610870661566&set=pcb.1381611363994850
Fact Check
A reverse image search revealed that the viral images are not recent. They were published as early as January 13, 2016, by ABC News in a report titled “Iran Releases 10 Navy Sailors Held After Drifting Into Iranian Waters.”
Further checks showed that the same images were distributed by AFP, with credits to Sepah News, the media wing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Context
The images relate to a 2016 incident in which two US Navy patrol boats accidentally entered Iranian waters. The crew was detained and taken to Farsi Island. Iran later released the sailors after determining that the intrusion was unintentional and that there was no hostile intent.
Conclusion
The viral posts are misleading. The images being shared are nearly a decade old and unrelated to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.
Related Blogs
Introduction
Meta is the leader in social media platforms and has been successful in having a widespread network of users and services across global cyberspace. The corporate house has been responsible for revolutionizing messaging and connectivity since 2004. The platform has brought people closer together in terms of connectivity, however, being one of the most popular platforms is an issue as well. Popular platforms are mostly used by cyber criminals to gain unauthorised data or create chatrooms to maintain anonymity and prevent tracking. These bad actors often operate under fake names or accounts so that they are not caught. The platforms like Facebook and Instagram have been often in the headlines as portals where cybercriminals were operating and committing crimes.
To keep the data of the netizen safe and secure Paytm under first of its kind service is offering customers protection against cyber fraud through an insurance policy available for fraudulent mobile transactions up to Rs 10,000 for a premium of Rs 30. The cover ‘Paytm Payment Protect’ is provided through a group insurance policy issued by HDFC Ergo. The company said that the plan is being offered to increase the trust in digital payments, which will push up adoption.
Meta’s Cybersecurity
Meta has one of the best cyber security in the world but that diest mean that it cannot be breached. The social media giant is the most vulnerable platform in cases of data breaches as various third parties are also involved. As seen the in the case of Cambridge Analytica, a huge chunk of user data was available to influence the users in terms of elections. Meta needs to be ahead of the curve to have a safe and secure platform, for this Meta has deployed various AI and ML driven crawlers and software which work o keeping the platform safe for its users and simultaneously figure out which accounts may be used by bad actors and further removes the criminal accounts. The same is also supported by the keen participation of the user in terms of the reporting mechanism. Meta-Cyber provides visibility of all OT activities, observes continuously the PLC and SCADA for changes and configuration, and checks the authorization and its levels. Meta is also running various penetration and bug bounty programs to reduce vulnerabilities in their systems and applications, these testers are paid heavily depending upon the scope of the vulnerability they found.
CyberRoot Risk Investigation
Social media giant Meta has taken down over 40 accounts operated by an Indian firm CyberRoot Risk Analysis, allegedly involved in hack-for-hire services along with this Meta has taken down 900 fraudulently run accounts, these accounts are said to be operated from China by an unknown entity. CyberRoot Risk Analysis was responsible for sharing malware over the platform and used it to impersonate themselves just as their targets, i.e lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and industries like – cosmetic surgery, real estate, investment firms, pharmaceutical, private equity firms, and environmental and anti-corruption activists. They would get in touch with such personalities and then share malware hidden in files which would often lead to data breaches subsequently leading to different types of cybercrimes.
Meta and its team is working tirelessly to eradicate the influence of such bad actors from their platforms, use of AI and Ml based tools have increased exponentially.
Paytm CyberFraud Cover
Paytm is offering customers protection against cyber fraud through an insurance policy available for fraudulent mobile transactions up to Rs 10,000 for a premium of Rs 30. The cover ‘Paytm Payment Protect’ is provided through a group insurance policy issued by HDFC Ergo. The company said that the plan is being offered to increase the trust in digital payments, which will push up adoption. The insurance cover protects transactions made through UPI across all apps and wallets. The insurance coverage has been obtained by One97 Communications, which operates under the Paytm brand.
The exponential increase in the use of digital payments during the pandemic has made more people susceptible to cyber fraud. While UPI has all the digital safeguards in place, most UPI-related frauds are undertaken by confidence tricksters who get their victims to authorise a transaction by passing collect requests as payments. There are also many fraudsters collecting payments by pretending to be merchants. These types of frauds have resulted in a loss of more than Rs 63 crores in the previous financial year. The issue of data insurance is new to India but is indeed the need of the hour, majority of netizens are unaware of the value of their data and hence remain ignorant towards data protection, such steps will result in safer data management and protection mechanisms, thus safeguarding the Indian cyberspace.
Conclusion
cyberspace is at a critical juncture in terms of data protection and privacy, with new legislation coming out on the same we can expect new and stronger policies to prevent cybercrimes and cyber-attacks. The efforts by tech giants like Meta need to gain more speed in terms of the efficiency of cyber safety of the platform and the user to make sure that the future of the platforms remains secured strongly. The concept of data insurance needs to be shared with netizens to increase awareness about the subject. The initiative by Paytm will be a monumental initiative as this will encourage more platforms and banks to commit towards coverage for cyber crimes. With the increasing cases of cybercrimes, such financial coverage has come as a light of hope and security for the netizens.
Executive Summary
Amid nationwide outrage over the gang-rape of a 13-year-old minor in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan, a video is circulating on social media. The clip shows police officers tying the hands of several accused individuals and parading them publicly on the streets. Users sharing the video claim that these are the culprits from the Sriganganagar case being beaten by the police.
A fact-check by the CyberPeace Research Wing found this claim to be misleading. The viral video has no connection to the Rajasthan incident; it actually depicts a separate event from Patan, Gujarat, dating back to March 2026.
The Claim
On July 7, 2026, a user on X (formerly Twitter) shared the video with the caption: "32 jihadis assaulted, brutalized, and raped a 13-year-old girl for five days. These criminals must get the harshest punishment to set an example."
https://x.com/RakeshKishore_l/status/2074400280352084129
Fact Check
To verify the viral claim, keyframes from the video were extracted and analysed using Google Lens for reverse image search. During the research, we found a report published by NDTV on March 19, 2026, which carried visuals matching the viral video. The report link and screenshot are provided below:
According to the NDTV report, a video showing police personnel publicly assaulting 18 alleged accused persons in Gujarat’s Patan district had surfaced. The incident was reported to have taken place during a crime scene reconstruction exercise.
The report stated that the accused, allegedly linked to an extortion gang, were taken to Chanasma for the reconstruction process. During the exercise, police personnel were seen assaulting them. Witnesses claimed that the accused were paraded through areas where they had allegedly created fear among locals.
The accused were reportedly linked to the alleged Jhiliya gang. The incident occurred days after a violent clash in which members of the same group allegedly attacked a police team, forcing officers to retreat from the spot.
During further research, we found a report published by ABP Asmita on March 19, 2026. According to the report, the incident was linked to an old dispute over temple donations.
The report stated that the accused were produced before a court, which sent them to five days of police custody until March 23, 2026. The report link and screenshot are provided below:
Conclusion
The research found that the viral video is not related to the alleged gang rape case in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan. The video is being shared with a false context. The footage actually belongs to a separate incident from Gujarat’s Patan district reported in March 2026.
Executive Summary:
In recent times an image showing the President of AIMIM, Asaduddin Owaisi holding a portrait of Hindu deity Lord Rama, has gone viral on different social media platforms. After conducting a reverse image search, CyberPeace Research Team then found that the picture was fake. The screenshot of the Facebook post made by Asaduddin Owaisi in 2018 reveals him holding Ambedkar’s picture. But the photo which has been morphed shows Asaduddin Owaisi holding a picture of Lord Rama with a distorted message gives totally different connotations in the political realm because in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Asaduddin Owaisi is a candidate from Hyderabad. This means there is a need to ensure that before sharing any information one must check it is original in order to eliminate fake news.
Claims:
AIMIM Party leader Asaduddin Owaisi standing with the painting of Hindu god Rama and the caption that reads his interest towards Hindu religion.
Fact Check:
In order to investigate the posts, we ran a reverse search of the image. We identified a photo that was shared on the official Facebook wall of the AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on 7th April 2018.
Comparing the two photos we found that the painting Asaduddin Owaisi is holding is of B.R Ambedkar whereas the viral image is of Lord Rama, and the original photo was posted in the year 2018.
Hence, it was concluded that the viral image was digitally modified to spread false propaganda.
Conclusion:
The photograph of AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi holding up one painting of Lord Rama is fake as it has been morphed. The photo that Asaduddin Owaisi uploaded on a Facebook page on 7 Apr 2018 depicted him holding a picture of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. This photograph was digitally altered and the false captions were written to give an altogether different message of Asaduddin Owaisi. It has even highlighted the necessity of fighting fake news that has spread widely through social media platforms especially during the political realm.
- Claim: AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi was holding a painting of the Hindu god Lord Rama in his hand.
- Claimed on: X (Formerly known as Twitter)
- Fact Check: Fake & Misleading
