Aaj Tak, NDTV, India TV among channels that aired 4-year-old video as Jaisalmer airstrike
New Delhi: Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, several prominent Indian TV news channels, including Aaj Tak, NDTV, and India TV, aired a video on May 9 claiming it showed the Indian Army intercepting a Pakistani airstrike in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. However, a fact-check by Alt News revealed that the footage is at least four years old and completely unrelated to any recent conflict.
The video was broadcast during a segment on Aaj Tak hosted by anchor Anjana Om Kashyap, where it was described as footage of the Indian military thwarting a Pakistani airstrike “moments ago.” The same footage was aired in another bulletin presented by Sweta Singh on the same channel.
NDTV similarly presented the video as depicting live action from Jaisalmer. India TV and several other outlets — including Times Now, Times Now Navbharat, ABP News, News18, News Nation, and OneIndia also aired the same video with identical claims.
What’s the truth?
According to Alt News, the video was originally uploaded on May 11, 2021, by a YouTube channel named NSFchannel. The title of that video suggests it depicts Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system in action, not an Indian military engagement.
Although Alt News stated it has not independently verified the video’s exact origin, it confirmed that it is at least four years old and unrelated to the current India-Pakistan situation.
In conclusion, multiple national news broadcasters misrepresented an old video, presenting it as real-time footage of Indian forces intercepting a Pakistani airstrike in Jaisalmer, a claim now debunked through fact-checking.
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Online fraud: Hotel chef from Udupi cheated of over Rs 1 lakh by WhatsApp contact
Udupi: Udupi City Police have registered a case of online fraud after a 62-year-old hotel chef was allegedly cheated of Rs 1.13 lakh by a woman who befriended him on WhatsApp, claiming to be based in London.
The victim, identified as Pandu Kariappa Poojary, a resident of Kuthpadi in Udupi, was working at a hotel in Mangaluru.
He reportedly came into contact with a woman identifying herself as Emilda William on WhatsApp. During their interactions, she told Poojary that she planned to start a cosmetics and hotel business in India and would meet him during a visit to Mangaluru.
On April 7, Emilda sent Poojary a flight ticket from London to Delhi via WhatsApp. The following day, Poojary received a phone call from a woman who informed him that Emilda had arrived at Delhi airport carrying a demand draft worth Rs 5 crore along with other items. The caller allegedly asked him to pay Rs 70,000.
Subsequently, Poojary also received a call from Emilda, who was reportedly crying and spoke about the situation. Believing the claims, he transferred a total of Rs 1,13,300 in phases using a scanner. He later realised that he had been cheated.
