#FactCheck: Viral Photo Shows Sun Ways Project, Incorrectly Linked to Indian Railways
Executive Summary:
Social media has been overwhelmed by a viral post that claims Indian Railways is beginning to install solar panels directly on railway tracks all over the country for renewable energy purposes. The claim also purports that India will become the world's first country to undertake such a green effort in railway systems. Our research involved extensive reverse image searching, keyword analysis, government website searches, and global media verification. We found the claim to be completely false. The viral photos and information are all incorrectly credited to India. The images are actually from a pilot project by a Swiss start-up called Sun-Ways.
Claim:
According to a viral post on social media, Indian Railways has started an all-India initiative to install solar panels directly on railway tracks to generate renewable energy, limit power expenses, and make global history in environmentally sustainable rail operations.
Fact check:
We did a reverse image search of the viral image and were soon directed to international media and technology blogs referencing a project named Sun-Ways, based in Switzerland. The images circulated on Indian social media were the exact ones from the Sun-Ways pilot project, whereby a removable system of solar panels is being installed between railway tracks in Switzerland to evaluate the possibility of generating energy from rail infrastructure.
We also thoroughly searched all the official Indian Railways websites, the Ministry of Railways news article, and credible Indian media. At no point did we locate anything mentioning Indian Railways engaging or planning something similar by installing solar panels on railway tracks themselves.
Indian Railways has been engaged in green energy initiatives beyond just solar panel installation on program rooftops, and also on railway land alongside tracks and on train coach roofs. However, Indian Railways have never installed solar panels on railway tracks in India. Meanwhile, we found a report of solar panel installations on the train launched on 14th July 2025, first solar-powered DEMU (diesel electrical multiple unit) train from the Safdarjung railway station in Delhi. The train will run from Sarai Rohilla in Delhi to Farukh Nagar in Haryana. A total of 16 solar panels, each producing 300 Wp, are fitted in six coaches.
We also found multiple links to support our claim from various media links: Euro News, World Economy Forum, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, and NDTV.
Conclusion:
After extensive research conducted through several phases including examining facts and some technical facts, we can conclude that the claim that Indian Railways has installed solar panels on railway tracks is false. The concept and images originate from Sun-Ways, a Swiss company that was testing this concept in Switzerland, not India.
Indian Railways continues to use renewable energy in a number of forms but has not put any solar panels on railway tracks. We want to highlight how important it is to fact-check viral content and other unverified content.
- Claim: India’s solar track project will help Indian Railways run entirely on renewable energy.
- Claimed On: Social Media
- Fact Check: False and Misleading
Related Blogs
Executive Summary
A viral social media post claims that the recently released Epstein files reveal that Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Epstein Island more than 320 times. CyberPeace Research Wing research found that the claim is false. There is no evidence in the Epstein files suggesting that Prime Minister Modi visited Epstein Island over 320 times.
Claim:
An X user shared a viral graphic claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Epstein Island more than 320 times. https://x.com/Ramesh18498367/status/206501995913534715 , https://ghostarchive.org/archive/2V12W
Fact Check:
We first examined credible international media reports related to the Epstein files, particularly those mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During this process, we found a report published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in February 2026. The report mentioned that the names of the Prime Ministers of India and Malaysia appeared in certain documents linked to the Epstein files. However, it clarified that references to Prime Minister Modi were limited to emails discussing his 2017 visit to Israel. The emails reportedly contained comments made by Jeffrey Epstein regarding the Prime Minister’s Israel visit. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-04/leaders-of-malaysia-india-named-in-epstein-files/106298458
We also reviewed reports published by several other international media organizations. None of them contained any information supporting the viral claim that Prime Minister Modi visited Epstein Island more than 320 times. The Government of India also issued a clarification regarding references to Prime Minister Modi in the Epstein files. The clarification stated that, apart from references to his 2017 Israel visit, the files contain no other mention of the Prime Minister. The government further described subsequent claims and speculation on the matter as baseless.
https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/2017598414733840649?s=20
Conclusion:
The viral claim that the Epstein files reveal Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Epstein Island more than 320 times is false. Available records, international media reports, and the Indian government's clarification do not support the claim.
Introduction
In May 2025, at Mumbai’s first-ever World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), PM Narendra Modi marked a turning point: the rise of what he called India's Orange Economy. Here lies a new path to growth - one built less on factories, more on invention, artistry, and spreading thought globally. While aiming for massive economic scale, India finds its creative industries movies, sound, games, cartoons, clothing design, books, online media stepping forward.
First appearing in a 2013 guide from the Inter-American Development Bank, the phrase 'orange economy' emerged through work by Felipe Buitrago Restrepo and Iván Duque Márquez, suggesting past neglect in defining how culture connects with economic activity. Because orange stands for imagination and heritage in many societies, it became the label for this particular sector of economic life..
According to UNESCO’s 2022 Global Report Reshaping Policies for Creativity, the cultural and creative sectors account for 3.1% of world GDP and employ 6.2% of the global workforce – more than the total number of people employed in car manufacturing in Europe, Japan and the U.S. Meanwhile, UNCTAD's 2024 Creative Economy Outlook shows cross-border trade in creative services hit $1.4 trillion in 2022, up nearly a third from five years ago, demonstrating how imagination is remaking modern commerce.
In his book The Creative Economy, economist John Howkins states that the creative economy is essentially about the relationship between creativity and economics, where ideas themselves are products, and imagination becomes a form of capital.
India’s Slice of Orange
The Scale of Opportunity
Despite its potential, India’s role in the global creative economy remains largely untapped. According to the FICCI-EY Media and Entertainment Report, the country’s media and entertainment sector ranks among the world’s most rapidly expanding, fueled by a youthful demographic that is increasingly online and earning more. Boasting over 600 million people using the internet, it hosts a vibrant network of creators - musicians in Guwahati, podcasters in Kochi, game developers in Bengaluru, filmmakers in Punjab - who together form a rich pool of talent unlike any other.
Now comes a shift at the WAVES Summit, where PM Modi framed content, creativity, and culture as core to an emerging economy. Not just products but ideas take center stage here, he suggested, during what he described as the ideal time to build from India for global impact. While earlier efforts pushed factory output under Make in India, this approach turned toward thinking work - where stories, visual forms, and online expression shape progress. Thought becomes product; imagination fuels industry.
Creative Industries Leading Change
What many people don’t know is that India makes more films than any other country. The films made in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam or Kannada are also widely circulated outside India, not just the output of Mumbai. Streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime carry these works, reaching far beyond local audiences. Furthermore, India’s gaming industry is nascent but growing rapidly, and is attracting increasing attention from policy makers. Until recently, studios around the world have not relied on Indian teams for animation and visual effects. Now, local creators are slowly building their own game franchises. Momentum is shifting - original ideas once rare now appear more often across the country. Deep within India’s craft traditions handwoven textiles, carved block patterns, intricate metallic threadwork lies a quiet fusion of legacy and modern expression. Viewed anew through the framework of creative enterprise, such practices reveal dual value: access to global markets alongside sustenance for village-based makers. Rather than mere relics, they function as living systems where art meets income. Changes in perception make them economic opportunities, rather than local crafts. Every stitch, every weave, is not just technique but the weight of continuity in the face of change. And today, streaming platforms allow independent musicians in India to connect directly to listeners worldwide.
The Three T’s: Technology Talent Tolerance
Richard Florida, an economist, in his work The Rise of the Creative Class once proposed a model where city progress ties closely to innovation, skilled individuals, and openness. His idea - crafted originally for U.S. urban areas fits well when viewing India today. Growth now depends less on old industries, more on environments that attract capable minds through flexibility. Regions thrive not just by building tech hubs but by welcoming diverse lifestyles. One factor feeds another: talent flows where freedom exists, ideas grow where tools are available. A place gains momentum only if it supports all three at once.
Technology
A tool opens doors. Low-cost internet, budget phones, together with government-backed digital expansion, made making content possible for nearly anyone. The focus should be on accessibility and last mile delivery.
Talent
Home to the youngest population on Earth, it sees countless imaginative minds emerge yearly from schools that now encourage original thinking. Still, despite rising worldwide interest in what these individuals produce, many cannot cover basic needs - a gap highlighted by UNESCO’s 2022 findings. But this contradiction lacks for systems that ensure fair pay, protect ideas, and offer stability beyond fleeting projects.
Tolerance
Openness to difference, trial, and unusual thinking shapes the trickier part of the equation. The wide mix of tongues, beliefs, and cultural expressions in India adds real value. Still, fostering innovation demands systems willing to adapt with rules safeguarding free expression, fair access for women in arts sectors, smoother paths for excluded groups.
Challenges on the Path to “Create in India”
India has millions of creators who influence culture but struggle to make a regular income from their work. Platforms take the lion’s share of profits, but those creating content, especially outside the big cities, often don’t have legal help, fair contracts or links with brands.
Another issue is Intellectual Property Literacy, IP rules such as copyright, trademark and patent systems empower the creative economy. Still, uneven understanding and spotty enforcement across India put many creators at risk of unfair use. Surprisingly, UNESCO’s 2022 assessment points to missing global standards for measuring creative sectors. Because of this gap, India faces challenges in shaping precise policy moves. Without detailed cultural satellite accounts, tracking progress remains uneven. Sector-specific figures would help fill these blind spots. Otherwise, decisions rely on incomplete information.Lastly, across the world, female professionals in artistic fields hold fewer top roles while earning less than men - a gap clearly seen in India too. To shape a fairer cultural sector, intentional strategies must elevate women, indigenous makers, and creators with disabilities.
Conclusion
In India, where young energy meets tradition through digital tools. Stories once shared locally now move across borders, carried by platforms that turn art into income. Because of this shift, music and fashion gain reach but only if creators can protect their work. Without fair pay or legal backing, even brilliant ideas fade quietly. Support systems matter, not just ambition. Recognition from society shapes whether fresh voices endure. In 2022, UNESCO’s report showed that although more people want to do creative work, those who create it still find it hard to make a living. New ideas offer a way forward, not to copy what exists, culture is then voice and value all at once.
References
- https://sprf.in/from-make-in-india-to-create-in-india-charting-indias-orange-economy-frontier/
- https://www.unesco.org/reports/reshaping-creativity/2022/en
- https://iasscore.in/current-affairs/indias-orange-economy
- https://indiasworld.in/the-dawn-of-indias-orange-economy/
- Marta-Christina Suciu, "The Creative Economy" (Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest)
- John Howkins, The Creative Economy: How People Make Money from Ideas (2001)
- Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative Class (2002)
- UNCTAD, Creative Economy Outlook 2024
- SPRF, "From Make in India to Create in India" (December 2025)
- IDB, The Orange Economy: An Infinite Opportunity (2013)
Introduction
Imagine an ordinary workday: a finance manager receives a WhatsApp message that appears to come from the company director. A regulatory document must be checked before a payment is released. The file is named “Statement of Account.zip”. The sender is familiar, and the deadline leaves little time to question it. But the archive may contain more than a statement. If a user extracts and runs the malicious Windows file inside, an attacker may compromise the computer and an active WhatsApp Web session. The account can then spread the file or be used for fraudulent payment instructions.
This is an illustrative reconstruction, not the story of one publicly identified victim. It is based on a 7 August 2026 alert from India’s Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), describing reported WhatsApp takeovers across multiple states. It shows how a visible payment scam may be the final step in a longer technical and social chain. [1]
The real incident: an official warning, not a rumour
On 7 August 2026, I4C, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, warned of a rise in complaints involving professionals and businesses whose WhatsApp accounts were taken over after malicious files were sent as account statements or urgent regulatory notices. Reported filenames included “Statement of Account.zip”, “RBI.zip” and “MCA.zip”, delivered through WhatsApp, SMS or email. I4C said an archive could contain a Windows executable (.exe) and a Dynamic Link Library (.dll); opening the extracted file on a Windows computer could install a Trojan and compromise an active WhatsApp Web session. [1]
The compromised account could then spread the file to contacts and groups. Fraudsters might use an executive’s genuine account - or an attacker-controlled number saved under the executive’s name - to request urgent transfers to mule accounts. I4C identified reports from Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. It also said over 58,000 potential victims had been alerted by SMS in the preceding 30 days and more than 10,000 people protected through interventions. These are figures reported by I4C at that time, not a count of all victims or losses. [1]
The logical theory: how the attack chain may work
A useful working theory has five stages. It explains the mechanism described by I4C, but it should not be treated as proof that every reported case followed an identical path.
1. Authority creates urgency. I notice that a message borrows the language of compliance, banking or regulation. The aim is to make the recipient act quickly and treat the attachment as business paperwork.
2. A file crosses the boundary. I see that the risky step is not simply receiving a message; the risky step is. Executing the malicious Windows file. The I4C advisory describes an executable paired with a DLL. In DLL sideloading a program loads a library that's malicious or has been placed where it can be loaded unexpectedly. The precise behaviour must be confirmed by examining the sample and system evidence not guessed from a filename. [1][2]
3. The computer becomes the bridge. I read that the public advisory says the malware can compromise the Windows device and hijack a WhatsApp Web session. This means the incident is more than a stolen password: the attacker may be able to act through a session that already appears trusted.
4. Trust helps the file spread. I notice that a file or request arriving from a known colleague is more persuasive than one, from an account. If contacts receive the attachment from a compromised account they may forward it. Open it on a work computer potentially extending the incident.
5. The technical intrusion becomes a payment scam. I see that the attacker uses the authority of the executive’s account to request a transfer. The beneficiary account, transfer timing and messages may become financial evidence alongside the endpoint and messaging records.
How an investigator tests the theory
Start with a timeline, not a suspect. Record when the message arrived, when the archive was downloaded and possibly executed, when unusual messages began, which linked devices appeared, and when a transfer was requested. Note each timestamp’s source and time zone. A message in a chat proves it was present there; it does not, by itself, prove who typed it.
Evidence can contain the archive and its hash; message details or email headers; conversation exports and screenshots; Windows security and antivirus logs; available process and network artefacts; linked-device information; and payment instructions, transaction IDs and beneficiary details. Evidence authors should keep originals record each collection and transfer and analyse copies where possible. Evidence responders must not open a file, on a normal work computer to test it. Evidence NIST guidance explains the care needed to preserve evidence. [3]
Test alternatives as well. Proof of file execution before a new session or unusual outgoing messages may support the theory. Matching hashes across affected systems may link samples, and bank records may help trace payments. But a filename does not prove two files are identical, an IP address does not identify a person, and receiving an archive does not prove it ran. If evidence contradicts the theory, revise it.
What organizations should do now
I4C says that any urgent transfers or changes to bank information should be checked using another way like a phone call or meeting in person. They also say to be careful about opening files or programs that are not confirmed check the devices linked to WhatsApp and make sure Windows computers are safe and up to date. [1] Don't approve any payment just because a message seems to be from a up person.
If you think something is wrong, tell the IT or security team stop using the computer that might be affected follow the steps, for an incident tell people who use the account not to open files from it remove any sessions that are not known and keep any proof before cleaning up. In India you can tell about financial cyber-crime by using the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or call 1930 right away. [4]
Conclusion
The I4C warning says that a WhatsApp takeover can happen through a series of events not just because someone stole a password. A convincing message that looks like it comes from a regulator can trick a user into opening a file. Once the file runs the computer might reveal a messaging session. Then the trusted account can spread the threat. Make a fake payment request seem real. Every step, in this process can leave clues: file traces, system logs, session data, messages and money trail evidence.
The I4C warning is not proof of what happened on any device. Investigators should use the I4C warning to build a theory test that theory, against saved records think about possibilities and mark what is unknown. For organisations a quick independent check of payment instructions can prevent the final loss. For investigators careful timelines and proper handling of evidence can produce results that can be explained and defended.
References: -
[1] Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs / Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), “I4C cautions corporates and finance professionals against ‘Boss Scam’: WhatsApp account takeover through malicious ‘Statement of Account’, ‘MCA’ and ‘RBI’ files aimed at high-value financial fraud,” 7 August 2026. Source
[2] Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs / I4C, “Regulatory and Executive Impersonation for WhatsApp Account Takeover using Malicious Windows Executables and High value financial fraud,” 22 June 2026. Source
[3] Barbara Guttman, Douglas R. White, Shannan Williams and Tracy Walraven, Digital Evidence Preservation: Considerations for Evidence Handlers, NISTIR 8387, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2022. Source
[4] Government of India, National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal; the portal advises immediate reporting of financial cyber fraud through helpline 1930. Source
