LUCKNOW A visual purportedly showing a leopard stealthily moving across a street in the residential area of Ruchi Khand 3, which went viral on social media on Thursday, created panic among locals before authorities confirmed it to be a “digitally manipulated hoax using artificial intelligence (AI)”.
The AI-generated image made rounds on WhatsApp groups and local social media pages, alarming residents and prompting fears of a wild animal on the loose in the locality.
Residents started watching their CCTV footage to check for the wild animal’s presence in front of houses. While some didn’t allow children to step out of the gate, others didn’t send their kids to school following the “leopard rumour”.
Reacting promptly to the image, police officials and a team from the forest department rushed to the area to assess the situation and ensure public safety. They conducted a thorough inspection of the neighbourhood, including a review of CCTV footage from surrounding homes and establishments.
After investigation, officials confirmed that “no wild animal was present in the vicinity, and the video in question was AI-generated, not captured from any actual surveillance footage.”
“Our technical team analysed the visual and found clear signs of digital manipulation. No physical evidence of a leopard was found in the area,” said district forest officer (DFO) Sitanshu Pandey.
{{/usCountry}}“Our technical team analysed the visual and found clear signs of digital manipulation. No physical evidence of a leopard was found in the area,” said district forest officer (DFO) Sitanshu Pandey.
{{/usCountry}}However, forest department teams were still searching for the wild animal, said to be a leopard, which was purportedly seen in a video in Cantt area two days ago. Pandey said three teams had been deployed for the purpose. The animal was not seen in camera traps yet.
When Team HT visited Ruchi Khand 3, locals expressed confusion and concern over on Thursday’s viral clip, contesting its authenticity.
“We checked our CCTV cameras after seeing the video, but found nothing unusual. There was no leopard or any sign of a wild animal in our footage,” said Sanjay Joshi, a resident of 3/61 Ruchi Kand, whose house was also shown in the video.
Anita Tiwari, a resident of 3/39 Ruchi Khand, said: “The incident has raised concerns about the misuse of AI and digital tools to spread fear and misinformation among the public. While no one was harmed, the false alarm caused temporary panic and disrupted the evening routine of many families.”
“I go out for a walk at 5am every day...but everything was normal when I came back. I was informed about the video as a precaution. Kids were asked not to step outside the gate and they were not sent to school. However, on inspecting the CCTV footage, no trace of any leopard was found,” said RC Yadav of 3/30 Ruchi Khand.
In wake of the rumour, divisional forest officer (DFO), Mohanlalganj, was appointed nodal officer to coordinate rescue and monitoring operations. A dedicated team comprising personnel from both the urban range and Sarojini Nagar Range was deployed. The teams were instructed to implement precautionary measures, install camera traps and conduct day and night patrolling of the area using safety and rescue equipment.
Youth who circulated visuals held
The forest department lodged a police complaint against a youth who allegedly circulated AI-generated pictures showing a leopard roaming in different parts of Aashiana area.
“The youth has been picked up and we are investigating the matter,” Abhay Pratap Mall, ACP, Cantt said.
“The youth has confessed to have made AI-generated pictures. We have filed a police complaint with the Aashiana police and further action will be decided by the police department,” said DFO Sitanshu Pandey.
Two days ago, the department had got information regarding a video showing a leopard crossing the road in Cantt, following which it deployed teams and camera traps to conduct a rescue operation.
However, on Thursday morning, some AI-generated pictures of a leopard roaming in Ruchi Khand also went viral.