#FactCheck -AI-generated video falsely shows a monk walking among lions in a forest
Executive Summary
A video is being widely shared on social media showing a monk walking through a dense forest, with several lions seen around him. Users sharing the video claim that the monk is fearlessly walking among lions. CyberPeace Research Wing’s research found that the viral claim is false. The research revealed that the video is not real and was created using artificial intelligence (AI).
Claim
An Instagram user shared the viral video on July 27, 2026, claiming that a video of a monk fearlessly walking among several lions in a forest is going viral on social media. The caption accompanying the post reads:
"A video of a baba fearlessly passing through several lions in the jungle is rapidly going viral on social media. After watching the video, people are linking it with faith, courage and divine power. However, the authenticity of the video and the circumstances shown in it have not been independently verified.
Therefore, before considering it a miracle, viewers should exercise caution and verify the source and facts before believing any viral video. What do you think—faith, courage or something else?"
The post link, archive link and screenshot are provided below:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbTOIuRRYFe/
FactCheck
To verify the claim, we conducted a keyword search on Google. During the search, we did not find any credible media reports confirming the viral claim. Upon closely examining the viral video, we suspected that it could have been created using AI. We then analysed the video using the AI detection tool Sightengine. According to the tool’s analysis, the video has a 99 per cent probability of being AI-generated.
In the next step of our research , we scanned the viral video using another AI detection tool, WasIt AI. The results indicated that the video was generated using artificial intelligence.
Finally, we analysed the video using the AI detection tool AI or Not, which also concluded that the viral video was created with the help of AI.
Conclusion
CyberPeace Research Wing’s research found that the viral claim is false. The video showing a monk walking among lions in a dense forest is not authentic but an AI-generated creation. The video is being shared with a misleading claim.
Related Blogs
Executive Summary
A video showing a building collapse is going viral on social media. It is being shared as footage of a tragic incident that took place in Satya Niketan, Delhi. The video is accompanied by claims that it shows the building collapse in Satya Niketan. However, a research by CyberPeace’s Research Wing found that the viral video is not from the incident in Satya Niketan, Delhi. The research revealed that the video is actually from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, where a building collapsed on September 5, 2026. Clear similarities were found between the viral video and visuals from the incident in Moradabad. This confirms that an old video is being shared on social media with a false context, linking it to the incident in Satya Niketan, Delhi.
Claim:
A user shared the viral video on YouTube with the caption: “Major accident in Delhi! A five-storey building collapsed.”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1qeW-pFoMd4
Fact Check
While investigating the viral video, we conducted a reverse image search using its keyframes. This led us to the same video, which was uploaded on an Instagram account on September 5, 2026. The text visible in the video identified the location as Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc54OW2SOh3/
In the next stage of our research, we found the video on Republic Bharat’s Instagram channel, where it was also identified as being from Moradabad.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/Dc8XTlpgaRL/
Based on the information gathered above, a keyword search led us to a report published by Dainik Bhaskar on September 5, 2026. The report also contained visuals matching those seen in the viral video. According to the Dainik Bhaskar report, on September 5, 2026, a four-storey dilapidated building collapsed in the Mughalpura area of Moradabad amid heavy rain, triggering panic in the area. However, the administration had sealed the building a day earlier after assessing its condition. The incident took place at around 3 p.m. The building was owned by a man named Sarfaraz Ali.
In our research, we also tried to geolocate the building seen collapsing in the viral video. We found that the building was located near Guiyan Bagh on Jama Masjid Road in Moradabad. The location can be seen in the image below.
Conclusion
The evidence gathered during our research clearly establishes that the video being circulated as footage of the tragic building collapse in Satya Niketan, Delhi, is not from Delhi. Our findings show that the viral video actually captures the collapse of a dilapidated four-storey building in the Mughalpura area of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, on September 5, 2026, amid heavy rainfall. The video was traced to multiple sources that identified the location as Moradabad, and further verification through media reports and geolocation confirmed that the visuals correspond to the same incident. Therefore, the viral video is being shared with a false context by incorrectly linking an incident in Moradabad to the building collapse in Satya Niketan, Delhi.
Introduction
Over the last few years, several public data breaches in Venezuela have revealed a lack of cohesion and progress in its data privacy system and left many people susceptible to fraud, identity theft and long-term harm via the internet. It is clear from these data breaches that when organizations fail to adequately protect their data, both through cybersecurity failures and weak legal protections, they can lead to problems throughout an entire system through which all individuals in the system could potentially suffer.
Among the more notable breaches are the Movistar Venezuela data breach from 2025 and the Cashea App data leak from earlier this year. Each of these examples demonstrates to some extent how the absence of an adequate privacy regulatory scheme can worsen the results of a data breach.
The Movistar Breach: A Regulatory Warning (2025)
Venezuelan digital rights group VE Sin Filtro published a report late in April 2025, which found a database revealed to have been opened onto the internet containing personal information belonging to over 3.2 million Movistar customers. The initial breach contained personal, and confidential, data of Venezuelan citizens such as national identification numbers, full names, city of residence, and phone numbers which could have been exploited to commit identity theft, SIM-swap fraud, and targeted scams.
One significant issue with this situation was that Movistar failed to disclose the breach publicly or contact impacted customers at the time of the disclosure. As a result, there appears to be a significant gap in Sanctions / Other Means of Enforcing Security Countermeasures Laws. Since there are numerous countries that enforce GDPR-style regulations and as such, this matter should lead to a complete investigation and possible fines against those responsible but in Venezuela there is still a lack of accountability.
Cashea App Leak: A 2026 Data Shock
A second alleged data breach came to light in February of 2026. It involved a Venezuelan buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) fintech called Cashea App, which is typically heavily utilized domestically. Reports have circulated that threat actors have been offering a database, believed to hold more than 79 million transaction records. This is more than double the size and sensitivity of the data involved in the Movistar Breach.
According to reports, the leaked data included:
- Bank account details and payment methods
- Merchant profiles and internal business identifiers
- Detailed transaction histories with names, national ID numbers, timestamps, and installment data
This level of exposure goes far beyond basic identifiers. Financial transaction histories combined with personal identifiers enable sophisticated fraud, targeted social engineering, and long-term misuse of financial identities. As with the Movistar breach, no official acknowledgment or notification was issued by Cashea at the time of reporting, again underscoring Venezuela’s weak enforcement environment.
Why These Breaches Matter: The Legal Dimension
The incidents show us that there is a bigger problem with the way Venezuela has set up its framework for protecting data. For instance, the Venezuelan Constitution recognises the principles of data protection and privacy; however, these rights only exist in a theoretical manner; they lack implementing legislation, procedural clarity, and institutional enforcement.
Constitutional Basis of Data Protection
The Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) stated the core principles for protecting data are found in the Venezuelan Constitution. After the TSJ issued its 2011 ruling, Article 28 of the Venezuelan Constitution gives individuals the right to know what data the state has about them, how the state uses that data, and to correct or delete any harmful data. Article 60 of the Venezuelan Constitution protects individuals' privacy and restricts excessive data collection by the state.
The Constitutional Chamber also put into place additional guiding principles for how to protect personal data, including:
- The data subject must give prior informed and revocable consent.
- The purpose for which the data is collected must be specified and only the minimum amount of information necessary can be collected.
- The data collected must be accurate and of good quality.
- There are confidentiality obligations for third parties regarding the use of the data.
- It is the government's responsibility to put into place procedures and mechanisms to monitor compliance with the data protection laws.
- There are civil, criminal and administrative liabilities for individuals and legal entities that violate the data protection laws.
But, in a civil law country, when courts make rulings, they usually are persuasive only as opposed to being legally binding, and even constitutional rulings cannot be implemented until enabling legislation is passed.
Absence of a Comprehensive Data Protection Law
In contrast to the European Union's GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), the United States' sectoral approach, and emerging Latin American data protection systems such as the ones in Brazil, Chile and Colombia, Venezuela has no independent data protection law. This lack of law leads to numerous types of uncertainty in the realm of data protection laws:
- No defined data controller or processor obligations
- No standardized lawful bases for processing
- No clear breach notification timelines
- No independent data protection authority
- No procedural pathway for individuals to seek redress
As a result, data protection in Venezuela is not treated as an independent legal discipline but instead becomes derivative, arising incidentally within constitutional litigation or sector-specific disputes.
Regulatory Fragmentation and Institutional Weakness
Due to the TSJ decisions made in 2011, there has been a lack of regulatory action taken in a systematic fashion and instead most actions have been done on a case by case basis as valid incidents arise. The National Cybersecurity Council was established in 2024; however, its function is to support the establishment of cybersecurity infrastructure and has no defined powers regarding the enforcement of privacy.
This creates a fragmented institutional landscape where:
- Authorities lack clear jurisdiction over privacy violations
- Companies face minimal compliance guidance
- Individuals struggle to understand or enforce their rights
The Movistar and Cashea incidents highlight how this fragmentation translates into practical impunity following major data exposures.
What’s Next? A Legal Opportunity for Reform
The repercussions of insufficient safeguards for data protection extend past the damage incurred to a person's privacy:
- Loss of trust in both financial and digital services
- Heightened likelihood of financial fraud and crime
- Lack of willingness from foreign companies to conduct business with Venezuela’s platforms.
- Long-term negative impact on the reputation of domestic companies.
- Possible inability to access cross-border transfer of data due to other jurisdictions’ decisions to restrict transfers into jurisdictions without cutting-edge enforcement of protections for privacy.
In a digital economy that increasingly requires robust data protection to function successfully, a lack of action to create strong protections will cause a significant economic impact.
Conclusion
Major data breaches such as the ones at Movistar in 2025 and Cashea App in 2026 show that constitutional privacy rights alone are insufficient without enforceable legal framework. Privacy laws must move from being just a principle to being a law that has institutions, procedures, and accountability to make sure the privacy of the users is protected.
Now with the global digital economy being so interconnected, not having regulations creates openings for vulnerabilities for people. If Venezuela hopes to protect their citizens, create an innovation-friendly environment, and compete in the global market, they must implement comprehensive data privacy reforms as soon as possible.
REFERENCES
- https://iapp.org/news/a/venezuela-data-breach-highlights-scattered-privacy-regulation
- https://www.apolocybersecurity.com/en/blog-posts/ciberataque-a-movistar-que-ha-pasado-a-quien-afecta-y-como-proteger-tus-datos
- https://darknetsearch.com/knowledge/news/en/cashea-app-data-leak-79m-records-exposed-in-venezuela/
- https://www.binance.com/en-IN/square/post/294369884695410
Executive Summary:
A photo circulating on social media shows a stage with the words “Hindu Sammelan” (Hindu Conference) written in large letters. In front of the stage, rows of chairs appear largely empty, with only a few people seated while most seats remain vacant.
Users sharing the image claim that the event, held under the banner of a “Hindu Sammelan,” was in fact a “Brahmin Sammelan,” and that indigenous communities chose to stay away, resulting in poor attendance.
It is noteworthy that, on the occasion of the centenary year of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), various “Hindu Sammelan” events are being organized across the country. The viral image is being linked to this broader context.
However, research conducted by the CyberPeace found the viral claim to be false. Our research revealed that the image being shared on social media is not authentic but AI-generated and is being circulated with a misleading narrative.
Claim
On February 21, 2026, a Facebook user shared the viral image. The original and archived links are provided below
- https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=935049042540479&set=gm.2425972001215469&idorvanity=465387370607285
- https://ghostarchive.org/archive/sxC6d
Fact Check:
A keyword search on Google confirmed that several “Hindu Sammelan” events have indeed been organized across the country as part of the RSS centenary year. For instance, media reports have covered such events in different cities, including Nagpur.
However, upon closely examining the viral image, we observed certain visual inconsistencies and unnatural elements that raised suspicion of AI generation. We first analyzed the image using the AI detection tool Hive Moderation, which indicated a 79.3 percent probability that the image was AI-generated.
To further verify, we scanned the image using another AI detection platform, Sightengine. The results showed a 97 percent likelihood that the image was AI-generated.
Conclusion
Our research confirms that the image circulating on social media is not genuine. It has been artificially created using AI technology and is being shared with a misleading claim.
