DNA Verified: Viral videos of helicopter being attacked in Myanmar wrongly circulated as of Manipur

DNA Verified: Amid renewed violence in Manipur involving drones and missile attacks, two videos recently went viral on social media, causing concern. One of the videos claimed to show an Indian fighter helicopter being shot down, while the other video appeared to show men operating drones, allegedly carrying bombs. These videos were shared with false claims: the first one stated that an Indian helicopter was shot down in Manipur, and the second suggested that members of the Kuki community were launching drone attacks on Meitei settlements in the conflict-hit state.

However, an investigation by the DNA found both of these claims to be false. The videos, in fact, were from Myanmar and had no connection to the violence in Manipur.

One of the viral videos was shared by an X user who falsely claimed, "#Breaking The #Indian fighter helicopter shot down by freedom fighter in #Manipur." Another X user shared the second video, alleging it showed drone attacks by Kuki members on Meitei establishments, using the hashtags #KukiDroneAttack and #KukiWarCrimes.

 

 

To verify the authenticity of these claims, the DNA  used the InVid Tool to extract keyframes from both videos and then conducted a reverse image search with Google Lens. The investigation revealed that the video of the helicopter being shot down was actually from Myanmar, showing the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) shooting down a Myanmar military helicopter using MANPADS. Further research led the Desk to social media posts confirming that the helicopter video originated from Myanmar.

The second video, which supposedly showed drone attacks, was traced to a YouTube video uploaded by a channel named Mandalay Free Press in June 2023. Using Google Earth, the location of the drone footage was pinpointed to War Tan Village in Myanmar.

Both videos were confirmed to be from Myanmar and were falsely circulated as footage from the Manipur conflict. Authorities continue to warn people about the dangers of misinformation on social media, especially during sensitive times in Manipur.

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