‘Entirely fabricated’: PIB debunks deepfake video of Army Chief tipping off Israel on Iranian ship

New Delhi: Indian authorities have dismissed as "entirely fabricated" a series of reports and social media posts claiming that Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi admitted to sharing the coordinates of an Iranian naval vessel with Israel.

The controversy stems from a viral video, largely circulated by accounts based in Pakistan and later picked up by the Turkish outlet Yeni Şafak. In the footage, Dwivedi appears to state at the Raisina Dialogue that India shared the location of the IRIS Dena as part of a "strategic agreement" with Israel. The vessel was reportedly sunk in international waters on March 4.

However, a forensic analysis by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check unit confirmed the video is an AI-generated deepfake. Digital investigators found that synthesised audio was layered over genuine footage of the General to create a false confession.

"General Upendra Dwivedi has made no such statement," the PIB official handle confirmed in a statement released Monday.

The real-world incident involved the sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena by a U.S. submarine in the Indian Ocean. The vessel had recently departed India after participating in the MILAN 2026 naval exercises.

In contrast to the claims of hostility, Indian officials pointed to the humanitarian assistance provided to the IRIS Lavan, another Iranian ship that was permitted to dock at Kochi for emergency repairs on the same day the Dena was lost.

Experts warn that this incident underscores the growing threat of "synthetic propaganda" in South Asian geopolitics, where high-fidelity deepfakes are increasingly used to manufacture diplomatic crises.