#FactCheck: Fake AI Video Falsely Shows Rohit Sharma Seeking Support to Play Next World Cup
Executive Summary
A video of Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma is being widely shared on social media, purportedly showing him saying, “If you want me to play in the next World Cup and you are with me, then share and like this video.” However, CyberPeace Research Wing found the viral claim to be false. Our research found that the viral video is not authentic but AI-generated and is being circulated with a misleading claim.
Claim:
A Facebook user shared the viral video on September 28 with the caption, “If you want me to play in the next World Cup and you are with me, then share and like this video.” The post link, archived link and screenshot are provided below.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/27349791221308658
Fact check
To verify the viral claim, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords. During the search, we did not find any credible media reports corroborating the claim. As part of our research, we scanned the viral video using the AI detection tool ISFAKEAI. According to the tool’s results, the video was 97 per cent AI-generated.
We further analysed the video using Hive Detect, which found that the speech in the viral video was 99 per cent AI-generated.
Conclusion:
Our research found that the viral video is not authentic but AI-generated. The video is being circulated on social media with a misleading claim that it shows an aeroplane being affected by the alleged ‘Arnab’ cyclone in Ahmedabad.
Related Blogs
Executive Summary:
A video claiming to show the plane crash that allegedly killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has been widely circulated on social media. The circulation began soon after reports emerged of a tragic aircraft accident in Baramati, Maharashtra, on January 28, 2026, in which Ajit Pawar and five others were reported to have died. The viral video shows a plane crashing to the ground moments after take-off. Social media users have claimed that the footage captures the exact incident in which Ajit Pawar was on board. However, an research by the CyberPeacehas found that this claim is false.
Claim:
An Instagram user shared the video on January 28, 2026, claiming that it showed the plane crash in Maharashtra in which Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others allegedly lost their lives. The caption accompanying the video read:“This morning, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and six others tragically died in a plane crash in Maharashtra.”
Links to the post and its archived version are provided below.
Fact Check:
To verify the authenticity of the viral video, the CyberPeaceconducted a reverse image search of its keyframes. During this process, the same visuals were found in a video report uploaded on News9 Live’s official YouTube channel on October 23, 2025.
According to the report, the footage shows a plane crash in Venezuela, not India. The incident occurred shortly after a Piper Cheyenne aircraft took off from Paramillo Airport in Táchira, Venezuela. The aircraft crashed within seconds of take-off, killing both occupants on board. The deceased were identified as pilot José Bortone and co-pilot Juan Maldonado. Further confirmation came from a report published on October 22, 2025, by Latin American news outlet El Tiempo. The Spanish-language report also featured the same video visuals and stated that a small aircraft lost control and crashed on the runway at Paramillo Airport in Venezuela, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot.
Conclusion
The CyberPeace’s research clearly establishes that the viral video being shared as footage of Ajit Pawar’s alleged plane crash in Baramati is misleading. The video actually shows a plane crash that occurred in Venezuela in October 2025 and has been falsely linked to a tragic claim in India.
Introduction
The 2023-24 annual report of the Union Home Ministry states that WhatsApp is among the primary platforms being targeted for cyber fraud in India, followed by Telegram and Instagram. Cybercriminals have been conducting frauds like lending and investment scams, digital arrests, romance scams, job scams, online phishing etc., through these platforms, creating trauma for victims and overburdening law enforcement, which is not always the best equipped to recover their money. WhatsApp’s scale, end-to-end encryption, and ease of mass messaging make it both a powerful medium of communication and a vulnerable target for bad actors. It has over 500 million users in India, which makes it a primary subject for scammers running illegal lending apps, phishing schemes, and identity fraud.
Action Taken by Whatsapp
As a response to this worrying trend and in keeping with Rule 4(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, [updated as of 6.4.2023], WhatsApp has been banning millions of Indian accounts through automated tools, AI-based detection systems, and behaviour analysis, which can detect suspicious activity and misuse. In July 2021, it banned over 2 million accounts. By February 2025, this number had shot up to over 9.7 million, with 1.4 million accounts removed proactively, that is, before any user reported them. While this may mean that the number of attacks has increased, or WhatsApp’s detection systems have improved, or both, what it surely signals is the acknowledgement of a deeper, systemic challenge to India’s digital ecosystem and the growing scale and sophistication of cyber fraud, especially on encrypted platforms.
CyberPeace Insights
- Under Rule 4(1)(d) of the IT Rules, 2021, significant social media intermediaries (SSMIs) are required to implement automated tools to detect harmful content. But enforcement has been uneven. WhatsApp’s enforcement action demonstrates what effective compliance with proactive moderation can look like because of the scale and transparency of its actions.
- Platforms must treat fraud not just as a content violation but as a systemic abuse of the platform’s infrastructure.
- India is not alone in facing this challenge. The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), for instance, mandates large platforms to conduct regular risk assessments, maintain algorithmic transparency, and allow independent audits of their safety mechanisms. These steps go beyond just removing bad content by addressing the design of the platform itself. India can draw from this by codifying a baseline standard for fraud detection, requiring platforms to publish detailed transparency reports, and clarifying the legal expectations around proactive monitoring. Importantly, regulators must ensure this is done without compromising encryption or user privacy.
- WhatsApp’s efforts are part of a broader, emerging ecosystem of threat detection. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) is now sharing threat intelligence with platforms like Google and Meta to help take down scam domains, malicious apps, and sponsored Facebook ads promoting illegal digital lending. This model of public-private intelligence collaboration should be institutionalized and scaled across sectors.
Conclusion: Turning Enforcement into Policy
WhatsApp’s mass account ban is not just about enforcement but an example of how platforms must evolve. As India becomes increasingly digital, it needs a forward-looking policy framework that supports proactive monitoring, ethical AI use, cross-platform coordination, and user safety. The digital safety of users in India and those around the world must be built into the architecture of the internet.
References
- https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.8562-6/486805827_1197340372070566_282096906288453586_n.pdf?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=b8d81d&_nc_ohc=BRGwyxF87MgQ7kNvwHyyW8u&_nc_oc=AdnNG2wXIN5F-Pefw_FTt2T4K6POllUyKpO7nxwzCWxNgQEkVLllHmh81AHT2742dH8&_nc_zt=14&_nc_ht=scontent.xx&_nc_gid=iaQzNQ8nBZzxuIS4rXLOkQ&oh=00_AfEnbac47YDXvymJ5vTVB-gXteibjpbTjY5uhP_sMN9ouw&oe=67F95BF0
- https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.8562-6/217535270_342765227288666_5007519467044742276_n.pdf?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=b8d81d&_nc_ohc=aj6og9xy5WQQ7kNvwG9Vzkd&_nc_oc=AdnDtVbrQuo4lm3isKg5O4cw5PHkp1MoMGATVpuAdOUUz-xyJQgWztGV1PBovGACQ9c&_nc_zt=14&_nc_ht=scontent.xx&_nc_gid=gabMfhEICh_gJFiN7vwzcA&oh=00_AfE7lXd9JJlEZCpD4pxW4OOc03BYcp1e3KqHKN9-kaPGMQ&oe=67FD6FD3
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/whatsapp-is-most-used-platform-for-cyber-crimes-home-ministry-report-101735719475701.html
- https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/whatsapp-bans-over-97-lakhs-indian-accounts-to-protect-users-from-scam-2702781-2025-04-02
Executive Summary
A video circulating on social media allegedly shows Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticizing Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and asking people not to watch his films. Users sharing the clip claim that these statements are recent. CyberPeace’s research has found the claim to be misleading. research revealed that the video is from 2015, long before Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. At that time, he was serving as a Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur.
Claim
On January 13, 2026, a Facebook user shared the video with the caption: "A clear message from the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Param Pujya Mahant Yogi Adityanath, urging people not to watch Shah Rukh Khan’s movie. Share this message widely, send it to all groups you are part of, and inform the youth in your family."
Fact Check:
To verify the claim, keyframes from the viral video were extracted and reverse-searched using Google Lens. The same video was found in a Facebook post dated March 28, 2022, where it was shared with the caption: "Baba Ji’s message to not watch Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’ movie."
Further research traced the video to Aaj Tak’s website, which reported on November 4, 2015, that then-BJP MP Yogi Adityanath criticized Shah Rukh Khan, comparing his language to that of terrorist Hafiz Saeed, stating that there was no difference in their statements.
A Live Hindustan report from the same date confirmed that Yogi Adityanath had strongly reacted to Shah Rukh Khan’s comments on rising intolerance in India and Hafiz Saeed’s invitation for him to stay in Pakistan. The reports make it clear that Yogi Adityanath criticized Shah Rukh Khan in 2015 by highlighting the similarity between his statements and those of Hafiz Saeed. At the same time, Shah Rukh Khan had highlighted growing intolerance in the country, citing incidents where filmmakers, scientists, and authors were returning awards, describing it as a sign of “deep intolerance” in India.
Conclusion:
Our research found that the statement attributed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath circulating on social media is not recent. The video dates back to 2015, a time when Yogi Adityanath was not yet the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
