India-Pakistan tension latest: PIB debunks fake news about Sukhoi Su-30MKI being shot down, Indian pilot captured in Muzaffarabad

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Friday said that Pakistan's claims of shooting down a Sukhoi Su-30MKI of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Muzaffarabad are false. PIB's Fact Check department further said that Pakistani claims of capturing an Indian pilot alive in Muzaffarabad are also fake. 

While urging social media users not to share this post, PIB said: "Fake News Alert!! Pakistani social media handles are claiming that a Sukhoi Su-30MKI was shot down in Muzaffarabad, capturing an Indian pilot alive." 

It added that the Sukhoi Su-30MKI of the IAF crashed on October 14, 2014, at the Undre Vasti of Kulwadi Village near the Pune-Ahamad Nagar highway. 

Moreover, the PIB also debunked a video showing a heavy barrage of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) being shared as a real attack by Pakistan against India.

"Pakistan Propaganda Alert! A video showing a heavy MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket Systems) barrage is being falsely shared as a real Pakistani attack on India," the post read. It was revealed that the video flagged in the PIB post was that of a video game called Arma 3 and that it has been online for over 3 years. 

"It has no connection to the current India-Pakistan situation," the post read. 

The video game has previously come up in similar cases of misinformation. During the 2021 coverage of the conflict in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, footage from the game was erroneously broadcast as real events by several media outlets. 

In May 2025, the Indian government is navigating escalating tensions with Pakistan amid claims that Pakistan has shot down five Indian aircraft, including Rafale jets, during what has been dubbed Operation Sindoor.

In a decisive move on the night of May 6-7, the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror camps and related facilities across nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This operation comes in retaliation for a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

On April 22, armed militants infiltrated the picturesque Baisaran Meadow in Pahalgam, resulting in the tragic deaths of 26 individuals, predominantly tourists.