India TV Fact Check: Multiple social media users shared a screenshot of a purported article by a leading English news publication, claiming that singer Shreya Ghoshal, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, and others leaked confidential information that could harm the country’s economy during an interview. However, the fact-check team found that the publication had not published any such article.
What is going viral?
An X user shared a screenshot of a purported article by The Indian Express, stating that fans advocated for Shreya Ghoshal's release after a controversial interview. The caption of the X post, read: "The Nation Reacts – How Do You Feel About It?"
We also found such articles written about Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Neha Kakkar and Sadhguru. These articles claim that the Indian celebrities were detained for revealing confidential information on some platforms.
Investigation
As it was going viral, we decided to investigate the claim. We ran a Google Reverse Image search on the viral screenshot and found that several users had shared the same post with a similar claim. Then we carried out a customised keyword search on Google but found no such report published by The Indian Express.
Upon clicking the link in the viral post, multiple discrepancies were noticed, the article lacked a publication date, and its hyperlinks redirected users to Immediate Fastx™, a platform promoting a user-friendly interface and free registration for new users. Additionally, the main website URL was https://innews.fixedsight.mom/, which does not belong to any credible news outlet.
The article mentioned that fans expressed their outrage as charges were brought against Shreya Ghoshal for leaking confidential information that could harm the country's economy. "The incident occurred during the broadcast of the program "Mirchi Plus" during which Shreya Ghoshal accidentally revealed an additional source of income. Although this income is legal, authorities are concerned that disclosing this information could lead to mass layoffs by exposing income disparities," read a section of the report.
We also reviewed the entire interview available on Mirchi Plus's official YouTube channel, but no such conversation was found.
Additionally, The Indian Express had issued a warning advising readers to stay cautious of fake web pages. Based on these findings, the Desk concluded that the viral screenshot was fabricated, and Shreya Ghoshal never made the alleged statement.
What came out in fact check?
Multiple social media users have shared a screenshot of an alleged article by The Indian Express, claiming that singer Shreya Ghoshal and other celebrities revealed confidential information that could damage the country's economy during an interview. However, fact-checking revealed that the viral screenshot is fake** and The Indian Express has not published any such article. People are advised to remain cautious and not believe such misleading claims circulating on social media.
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