Viral Images Claiming To Show Pakistani Pilot Being Captured Found To Be Old, AI-Generated

Claim

A couple of images, claiming to show the Pakistani Air Force pilot who was allegedly captured by the Indian Army near Jaisalmer.

The archived versions of the posts can be seen here and here.

Fact

Image 1

Newschecker ran a reverse image search, which led us to an uncropped version of the same photo on the Getty Images website, dated December 12, 2016.

“Turkish military personnel arrive near a Turkish F16 war plane which crashed in Diyarbakir on December 12, 2016. A Turkish fighter jet crashed near an airport in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, the military said, but the pilot was able to safely eject from the plane. The cause of the crash was not immediately known but the government said an investigation had been launched,” read the caption. We also came across these December 12, 2016 reports, seen here and here, saying that the pilot from the jet ejected before the plane went down in a field about 5km from the air base in Diyarbakir, which is Turkey’s biggest Kurdish-majority city

Image 2

Newschecker noticed the overly glossy texture of the image, raising our suspicions on it being AI-manipulated.

We then ran a reverse image search, which led us to an uncropped version of the photo shared on Facebook on May 3, 2025, before Operation Sindoor, which was launched by the Indian Armed Forces early on May 7, 2025. The image was posted after a Pakistani Ranger was apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) along the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan. The post stated that the picture was meant for representational purposes, further indicating that it was computer-generated. 

Newschecker ran the image past Hive Moderation, an AI-content detection tool, which said it was 79.6% likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content. The SightEngine tool said it was 99% likely AI-generated. Similarly, the WasitAI tool, too, said it was quite confident that the image, or significant part of it, was created by AI.

We have reached out to defence officials regarding the viral claims of a Pakistani fighter jet pilot being captured and will update this copy once we receive a response.

Also Read: Media Outlets Share Old, Unrelated Footage As Video Of India Intercepting Pak Attack On Jaisalmer

Sources
Getty Images photo, December 12, 2016
Hive Moderation tool
SightEngine tool
WasitAI tool