Hyderabad: AI generated leopard hoax in Shamirpet sparks panic, cops book teen

Shamirpet police have booked an 18-year-old for spreading a fake leopard sighting near Shamirpet Lake using an AI-generated image. The false claim caused panic among residents before authorities confirmed that no wild animal was present.

Hyderabad: The Shamirpet police have registered a case against a teenager for allegedly creating panic by spreading a false claim on social media that a leopard was sighted near Shamirpet Lake on the city outskirts.

According to the police, the suspect, identified as Ravinder Kumar (18), a native of Bihar, allegedly used Artificial Intelligence tools to generate an image of a leopard and circulated it online, claiming that the wild animal was moving around the lake area. The image quickly spread across local WhatsApp groups, alarming residents in nearby localities.

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Following the viral messages, the Shamirpet police and Forest department officials reached the spot and carried out a detailed inspection of the lake and its surroundings. After an extensive search, authorities found no evidence, such as footprints, movement, or sightings of any wild animal, confirming that the information was false.

Police later traced the origin of the misleading content and identified Ravinder as the person responsible for creating and sharing the AI-generated image.

A case has been registered against him for spreading false information and causing public fear.