Video Of Col Sofiya Qureshi Admitting That IAF Pilot Was Captured By Pak Is Deepfake

A video allegedly showing Col Sofiya Qureshi admitting that an Indian female fighter pilot was captured by Pakistan has gone viral on social media platforms amid the recent military escalations between the countries.

In the 21-second-long-video, Col Qureshi is purportedly heard saying, “On the night of May 9, the Pakistan Air Force fired Ballistic missiles…An Indian Air Force pilot, Wg Cdr Shivangi was captured by Pakistan. I hope Pakistan extends the same warm hospitality to Shivangi as they did to Abhinandan…”

The post can be seen here.

Also Read: RSS Members Attack Col Sofiya Qureshi’s Home In Karnataka? No, Old & Unrelated Photo Viral With False Claim

Fact Check/Verification

A keyword search for “Sofiya Qureshi” and “Shivangi” on Google did not yield any credible reports on the alleged remarks by the Army officer. 

On carefully analysing the video, we spotted the text at the bottom on the screen saying “Colonel Sofiya Qureshi briefs media”. We looked up the same phrase on YouTube and found a video shared on the official channel of DD India on May 9, 2025. 

After comparing the keyframes of the viral clip with the YouTube video, we could conclude them to be the same. However, in the press briefing Col Qureshi does not mention anything about the IAF pilot.

The live streaming of the full briefing did not carry any such “admission” either. 

Further, we observed that Col Qureshi’s lower jaw area appeared to be a bit blurry/smudged. The flat tone of the audio without any pauses also raised our suspicion. 

Also Read: ‘Muslim But Not Terrorist, Terrorists Have No Religion’, Deepfake Video Of Colonel Sofia Qureshi Goes Viral

We then checked the viral clip on AI detection platform Hive Moderation which found an overall 90.7% likelihood of the media containing AI generated or deepfake content.

Another AI audio detection tool, Resemble.ai also termed the voice heard in the viral clip as “fake”.

We also analysed the audio on Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector which found the voice to be “likely a deepfake”. 

All Pilots Back Home: Air Marshal A K Bharti

Responding to a press query on whether India lost any platforms, including Rafale jet, Air Marshal A K Bharti said, “We are in a combat scenario, losses are a part of combat. The question you must ask us is… have we achieved our objective of decimating the terrorist camps? And the answer is a thumping yes…All I can say is that we have achieved the objectives that we selected and all our pilots are back home.”

Also Read: Old, Unrelated Visuals Falsely Shared As Evidence Of IAF Pilot Shivangi Singh Allegedly Being Captured In Pakistan

Conclusion

Hence, we find that a video of Col Qureshi’s press briefing was manipulated using AI to falsely show her admitting that an IAF pilot was captured by Pakistan.

Sources
YouTube Video By DD India, Dated May 9, 2025
Hive Moderation Website
Resemble.ai Website
Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector Tool