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| - Fact Check: AI-generated photo viral with misleading claim of terrorist caught at Mahakumbh
India Today found that a viral photo of a Hindu monk standing in water in the custody of two policemen is AI-generated. While a man named Ayub Ali was detained from the Yati Narsinghand camp in Mahakumbh, the police did not find a criminal record.
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India Today Fact Check
The photo is AI-generated. However, a man named Ayub Ali was detained by Prayagraj police from the Yati Narsinghand camp at the Mahakumbh. But the police couldn’t find a criminal record for him.
A photo of a Hindu monk standing in water in the custody of two policemen has gone viral on social media. Allegedly, the monk was a terrorist named Ayub Khan who disguised himself to get inside the Mahakumbh venue in Uttar Pradesh’s Pryagraj and launch an attack. But before he could do so, he was caught.
A Facebook user captioned the photo: "Ayub Khan, a militant was arrested in Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh. He had come as a sadhu and mingled with our sadhus. He had conspired to commit the greatest crime that his cult teaches. By God's grace, our sadhus noticed the actions of this terrorist and handed him over to the police.” Its archive can be seen here.
India Today found that the viral photo is AI-generated. While a man named Ayub Ali was detained from the Yati Narsinghand camp in Mahakumbh, the police did not find a criminal record.
Our Probe
We found a January 14 ETV Bharat report that said tensions prevailed at the Juna Akhara in Mahakumbh when a youth sneaked inside the camp and reached the room of the Mahamandaleshwar of the Juna Akhara and Dasna Temple Mahant Yati Narsinghanand Giri to meet him. Allegedly, the man introduced himself as Ayush but failed to produce a valid identity card. As suspicion grew, he was handed over to the police for further verification. The police found the man was Ayub Ali from Etah in Uttar Pradesh.
To verify further, the Prayagraj Police contacted the Aliganj police station in Etah, where the man reportedly was from. The Aliganj police reached Ayub’s place and were told by relatives that his father, Shakir, now lives in Jaipur with other family members.
As per the Aliganj Police, Ayub is an addict and did odd jobs to eke out a living. According to a Hindustan report, the police said Ayub had no criminal history. India Today Fact Check reached out to the Aliganj Police for further clarification. SHO Navjot Sengar said the police couldn’t find a criminal record for Ayub, adding he was an addict. Sengar further said the viral photo was created using AI.
Was the photo AI-generated?
The AI-detecting tool Hive Moderation said with a 96.1 per cent confidence that the image was AI-generated. The photo also shows rope tied below the biceps of the monk, which is unlikely. Apart from this, the texture of the photo also looks unnatural.
Thus, it’s clear that the viral claim is misleading.
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