A photograph depicting a drone has circulated online with a misleading assertion suggesting that the Indian army recently seized a Pakistani drone that had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and attempted to breach Indian territory. However, India TV's Fact Check team has investigated the claims and determined them to be misleading. The incident actually dates back to April 2023 when the Indian army discovered ammunition and cash in a drone in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The viral photos include one showing a drone lying on the ground and another displaying items such as rifle magazines and cash retrieved from the drone. The caption on a social media post reads, "Vigilant SFs shot down a Pak drone carrying cash, ammunition in #JammuKashmir's #Rajouri. 05 AK magazines & cash dropped frm this drone also recovered near the LoC. Pak frustrated to see #KashmirRejectsTerror & trying to create its hold in other areas of J&K."
India TV did a fact check
India TV's Fact Check team verified that the incident occurred in April 2023 when the Indian army, in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Police, neutralised a suspicious drone carrying cash and ammunition in Rajouri. A reverse image search using Google led to an article published by the Economic Times on April 14, 2023, with the headline 'Drone carrying cash, rifle magazines shot down in J-K's Rajouri, massive search ops launched.' The visuals in the article matched the viral image of the drone.
According to the report, security forces identified and shot down a suspicious aerial object near Beri Pattan in Rajouri district during the night of April 12 and 13. An NDTV report on the incident mentioned extensive search operations being conducted in nearby villages. A post from ANI on April 13 also shared the same information, citing the PRO of J&K, and stated that the drone contained 131 rounds of AK-47, 5 magazines, and cash worth Rs 2 lakh.
Similar reports were published by Hindustan Times and The Hindu on April 13. Additionally, a clarification about the viral drone image was issued by the Rajouri Police on social media on September 27, asserting that "no such drone dropping as shown in the news/photos has taken place in the district today."
Also read | FACT CHECK: Viral video misrepresents PM Modi's statement on Chhattisgarh government | Know more
Also read | FACT CHECK | Fake image of Rahul Gandhi with '420' badge debunked | Know more
