EditedFakeGovernmentPhotoshopPolitics

A digitally edited billboard wishing Happy Republic Day is viral.

Spread the truth:

A photo of a huge billboard on a building roof is viral showing an alleged ad of Congress, MP with photos of Kamal Nath and Nakul Nath wishing Happy Republic Day.

WhatsApp

“ये हालत है कांग्रेस की, स्वतंत्रता दिवस और गणतंत्र दिवस के बीच का फर्क भी नहीं पता। 😆😆
सबको पता चलना चाहिए, कर दो सब को फारवर्ड”

Twitter

Claim“कांग्रेसियों ने फिर करायी फ़ज़ीहत,  नकुल नाथ और उनके समर्थकों ने दी ‘गणतंत्र दिवस’ की शुभकामना। One more Pappu ka Paplu”

archive

archive

 

You can see many other tweets at the end of this article.

 

Analysis

The image is digitally edited, the billboard actually has an advertisement of a Bank on it.

On studying the image in detail, we observed it might be edited, details of which will follow.

The first thing we noted, to move our investigation forward was the name of the building on top and the different commercial set ups in it whose names were hanging outside. we searched for the names on Google, the building came out to be KK Plaza, MP Nagar, Bhopal, MP.
Following this, we looked for all the names on google, got hold of their contact number, called them up. Coaching classes came out to be closed due to Lockdown so we couldn’t get any reply from them, but were helped by a shop in the same building. The owner while online over the phone stepped out, checked the Billboard and told us it’s of “Bandhan Bank” and on asking for something specific, said it has a photo of a small tempo.

Then we searched for KK Plaza on Google maps. The rectangle shows the huge billboard on it’s roof facing a chowk.

We looked for shops and other commercial set ups opposite to the building and got hold of a Hotel. The man who picked up the phone checked from the window and said the same what previous one did – “Bandhan Bank”
He also sent us the photo over WhatsApp (below)

We also contacted the advertising agency which owns the billboard, RK Publicity (Thanks to Vinay Singhal) and they clarified that they put up this “Bandhan Bank” hoarding two days ago, before which it had only the number of the agency to contact (for advertising).

We also contacted the founder of Wittyfeeds/Nukkad, Vinay Singhal, who arranged other photos  of the same building taken today.

Later he sent four photos from a little different angle

 

Now about editing, following are the things we noted first in the viral image below –

1. The image viral is only one, same photo from same angle, cropped differently i.e. different sizes. Only one photo.
2. The image was way to bright to be real, real one has to be darker, grayish. The one above looked whiter.
3. The edges of the billboard is a give away. A billboard has to have a frame on all sides on which the banner is wrapped. Look below for a comparison of the viral one with the real one.

Taken from Viral Image –

Below are the zoomed part taken from the photos we received today –
Few things are common in the images below which is not present in the viral image.
The shade of white, how dark it is, The edges of banner, the points used to tie the banner (small red circles), the bottom part of the frame where the banner is wrapped on so is darker.

Further we also edited the viral image and added a landscape photo is the same shape as the wrong one was added. It’s easy to change shape, skew any image to make it fit on something.

More false tweets –

https://twitter.com/Nazir_Mudassar1/status/1293832660398346240

https://twitter.com/FunKeyBaat/status/1293796454343913472

Hoax Slayer
Follow/Like

Spread the truth:

Hoax Slayer

SMHoaxSlayer is India's largest and oldest Fact Checker. Started in Aug 2015, it had debunked more than 2000 Fake News till now. Check more at smhoaxslayer.com/team