Following the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor, escalating tensions along the Line of Control (LoC). Both sides reported intensified cross-border firing and armed forces operations, leading to military and civilian casualties (here, here, and here). After days of attacks from both sides, a ceasefire agreement was reached through high-level military and diplomatic talks.
Amidst the ongoing military tensions between India and Pakistan, several visuals are going viral on social media (here, here, and here) claiming that an Indian Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, has been captured by Pakistan during the India-Pakistan clash. Let’s verify the claims made in these posts through this article.
Shivani Singh is India’s first and only female pilot to fly the French-made Rafale fighter jet. She was commissioned into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2017. She initially flew the MiG-21 Bison before transitioning to the Rafale fleet in 2020 (here, here, and here).
Claim: The visuals show that Indian pilot Shivangi Singh has been captured in Pakistan amid the ongoing military tensions between India and Pakistan.
Fact: The viral videos and photos are not linked to the recent India–Pakistan clashes. They are either old or unrelated. Additionally, on 11 May 2025, Air Marshal AK Bharti confirmed in a press briefing that all pilots involved in Operation Sindoor had safely returned home. He further stated that the Air Force had successfully achieved all its objectives during the precision strikes against Pakistan. Hence, the claims made in the posts are FALSE.
Claim 1
A reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video led us to multiple social media posts (here, here, and here), featuring the same visuals, which were posted in March 2025, well before the India–Pakistan conflict that began after the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April 2025. The posts stated that a paraglider, flying in a storm, got stuck in electric wires at the Dobhi paragliding site in Kullu and was rescued safely.
However, we could not independently verify the exact date or location of the video. But based on the available evidence, it is clear that the video predates the 2025 Pahalgam attack and has no connection to the post-attack tensions between India and Pakistan.
Claim 2
A Google Lens search of the viral photo led us to an Instagram post from 01 June 2023. According to the caption, the image shows two IAF pilots—Wing Commander Tejpal and trainee Bhoomika—who ejected from a Kiran Jet Trainer aircraft before it crashed near Bhogapura village in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka. The aircraft, which had taken off from Bengaluru for a routine training sortie, turned into a fireball upon crashing. The pilots were later found on the ground, exhausted and injured, but alive.
The same image appeared in a Star of Mysore article dated 01 June 2023, which identified the pilots and included an eyewitness account of the crash. The Indian Express also reported the incident on 02 June 2023. The IAF confirmed the crash on its official X handle on 01 June 2023, stating that a Kiran trainer aircraft crashed near Chamarajanagar during a routine training sortie and both pilots ejected safely. A Court of Inquiry was ordered to determine the cause.
Additionally, the Government of India’s fact-checking unit, PIB Fact Check, posted on X on 10 May 2025, dismissing the claim as fake. They confirmed that the image being circulated is from June 2023 and is therefore old.
Claim 3
A reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video led us to the same video shared on YouTube on 07 May 2025, which predates the India–Pakistan conflict that followed Operation Sindoor. Additionally, no official information has been found to support the claims made in the viral video.
However, we could not independently verify the exact date or location of the video. Nonetheless, based on the available evidence, it is clear that the video predates Operation Sindoor and is not connected to the post-attack tensions between India and Pakistan.
It is important to note that on 11 May 2025, Air Marshal AK Bharti confirmed in a press briefing of the Indian Forces that all pilots involved in Operation Sindoor had returned home safely. He also added that the Air Force successfully achieved all its objectives during the precision strikes launched against Pakistan.
To sum up, old, unrelated visuals are being falsely shared as those of India’s first woman Rafale fighter pilot, Shivangi Singh, allegedly captured in Pakistan during the India–Pakistan clash.
