In the wake of increased military tensions between Pakistan and India, a new wave of false information has gripped social media. One of the most trending claims is an imaginary report that Indian pilot Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh has been captured by the Pakistan Air Force after she ejected from her aircraft. A post widely shared on X (previously Twitter) contained a picture and a video, making unsubstantiated claims of her capture.
One of them wrote, “There are news that Indian Female Air Force pilot squadron leader Shivani Singh captuted in Pakistan while she jumped from the jet, her is a video too watch out. By the way Chai Peeni Hey. After Abhinandan another one.”
Another responded with a communal tone, ”
Pakistan will make another example as she is a female pilot officer and our religion Islam teaches us treat womens respectfully.”
The Reality: Shivangi Singh Is Safe
The Government of India moved fast to rubbish the rumor. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-checking desk released a clear statement, stating, “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!”
Indian Female Air Force pilot has NOT been captured?
Pro-Pakistan social media handles claim that an Indian Female Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Shivani Singh, has been captured in Pakistan.#PIBFactCheck
❌ This claim is FAKE!#IndiaFightsPropaganda@MIB_India… pic.twitter.com/V8zovpSRYk
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 10, 2025
For perspective, Shivangi Singh is an Indian Navy Lieutenant and not an Indian Air Force officer, as the viral report asserted. She comes from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district’s Fetehabad village and was already flying Pilatus aircraft. Shivangi Singh is among the initial three women who were inducted as pilots within the Indian Navy, along with Lt. Shubhangi Swaroop and Lt. Divya Sharma.
The Shivangi Singh misinformation is not a one-off. Since India initiated Operation Sindoor—an air strike operation against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)—there have been several social media handles that have posted unverified and false information.
Certain reports asserted that an Indian aircraft crashed in the Himalayas. Others reported that Pakistan sabotaged India’s S-400 missile defense system. Another post also make a false assertion that a Pakistani cyber attack on the power grid cut 70% of India’s power supply. The PIB and fact-checking units consistently debunked those false stories, but the viral disinformation harm is still considerable.
Weaponizing Falsehoods to Sow Discord
What is concerning is the coordinated nature of this disinformation, which appears to be designed to spread panic and confusion in India. By using a female officer and combining it with religious rhetoric, these stories seem to be intended to play on communal sensitivities and undermine India’s military actions.
These are the kinds of tactics employed during the days of old with raised tensions, like the days of the Balakot airstrike in 2019, when Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was indeed taken hostage and returned later by Pakistan. Attempting to parallel this occurrence is calculated and perilous.
The April 22 Pahalgam Attack
This upsurge of hostilities commenced after an attack by terrorists supported by Pakistan in Pahalgam on April 22 targeting tourists. According to reports, the militants pushed civilians to make the kalma so they could identify the non-Muslims among them and point-blank shoot them before their families. 26 civilians lost their lives, leading India to give a harsh reaction.
As a response, India carried out airstrikes on May 7, targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK. This is the biggest Indian military operation within Pakistan since the 1971 war, including an attack on a terror camp in Punjab, 100 km from the border.
Ever since, Pakistan has ramped up tensions, opening its operation called Bunyan Ul Marsoos, which translates to “solid wall of lead”—a phrase borrowed from the Quran to imbue the operation with a religious context.
