Fake: Govt debunks claims of Indian female Air Force pilot Shivani Singh captured in Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Fact-Check unit dismissed claims circulating on social media that an Indian Air Force pilot named Shivani Singh has been captured by Pakistan.However, the claims were refuted by the fact checking agency, clarifying, “Indian Female Air Force pilot has NOT been captured.” The agency said, “Pro-Pakistan social media handles claim that an Indian Female Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Shivani Singh, has been captured in Pakistan.This claim is FAKE!” it said.The agency also dismissed a separate claim suggesting that an Indian pilot had ejected from a fighter aircraft over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), calling it fake.The rumour gained traction in the wake of rising tensions between India and Pakistan after India carried out precision strikes on terror camps across the Line of Control.Since the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack which took 26 lives, social media has been flooded with a wave of misinformation.From baseless warnings urging users to turn off location services on their phones, false claims of the destruction of an S-400 air defence system, rumours of 70% of the country’s power grid collapsing, a series of misinformation has been spreading online.Meanwhile, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has been actively countering these false claims, urging the public to verify information through official sources before believing or sharing it.