Fact Check: Did Dhurmus-Suntali Tear Up Passports? Reality Behind the Viral Video

Kathmandu: For the past few days, a video has been going viral on social media in which artists Sitaram Kattel and Kunjana Ghimire, popularly known as Dhurmus-Suntali, appear to be tearing up Nepal’s passport. In the video, they are also seen wearing caps with the slogan “Make America Great Again” written on them after tearing the passport.

The video went viral mainly on TikTok. A fact-check by the TechPana Fact Check Desk has confirmed that the video was created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology and is misleading.

Claim

In a video posted by a TikTok user named ‘nepalnews292’, Suntali is seen recording a video while Dhurmus sits to her left and looks toward the camera. The video shows them tearing a passport that resembles Nepal’s passport and wearing caps with the slogan “Make America Great Again.”

Text overlaid on the video reads, “Dhurmus Suntali said we did not run away. We came to America for our daughter’s treatment.”

Since its upload, the video has received more than 4.5 million views, over 160,000 likes, and more than 2,000 comments. Watch the video. Most comments question whether the daughter’s treatment was possible in Nepal. Some users expressed dissatisfaction, with remarks such as, “She should just stay in America.” (Translated)

Research

After the video went viral, the TechPana Fact Check Desk extracted multiple keyframes from the video and conducted Google reverse image searches. During this process, it was found that other social media users had also uploaded the same video. A TikTok user named ‘Nepokid_10’  uploaded the same video three days earlier.

The caption of that post reads, “Popular comedian couple Sitaram Kattel ‘Dhurmus’ and Kunjana Ghimire ‘Suntali’ have reportedly moved to the United States with their daughter.” Watch the video.

Similarly, on September 13 at 1:07 PM, a Facebook page named ‘Nepal China Village Tales’ uploaded a still image from the video. The accompanying text reads, “So this is what happened” (Translated) See the post.

The viral video was then closely analyzed. After extracting keyframes and examining them, several unnatural movements and visual inconsistencies were observed.

The video was tested using the AI video detection tool Hive Moderation. The tool showed that the video is 90 percent likely to be AI-generated content.

Initially, it was assumed that the AI video may have been created using an existing photo of Dhurmus-Suntali. However, a Google reverse image search did not find any original photo that matched the visuals seen in the viral video.

A few days earlier, a segment titled “Dhurmus Sutukk America Bage?” (Did Dhurmus secretly flee to America?) was broadcast on the program Tipan Tapan Tabare, hosted by Prakash Subedi. The program aired on Rajatpat Online TV on December 11. Watch the video. Following this broadcast, social media users began claiming that Dhurmus-Suntali had fled to the United States.

In response, on December 12, Sitaram Kattel ‘Dhurmus’ published a long statement on Facebook. In the post, he stated that his daughter had been diagnosed with a disease called meningitis and that the family had applied for an “extraordinary visa” to seek easier treatment in the United States. He also wrote that he planned to return to Nepal and resume his artistic career after his daughter’s treatment.

Against this background, claims began circulating on social media that Dhurmus-Suntali tore up Nepal’s passport and wore caps with the slogan “Make America Great Again.”

Claim

Dhurmus-Suntali tore up Nepal’s passport and wore caps with the words “Make America Great Again” written on them.

Claimants

Social media users and pages including nepalnews292, Nepokid_101, and Nepal China Village Tales.

Facts

The video showing Dhurmus-Suntali tearing up Nepal’s passport and wearing American slogan caps is not real. It is misleading content created using AI technology. The video falsely links their travel to the United States for their daughter’s medical treatment with an act that did not occur.

Conclusion

The viral video circulating on social media is not authentic. Keyframe analysis revealed unnatural visual activity. The AI detection tool Hive Moderation showed that the video is 90 percent AI-generated. The content was created using AI to misleadingly link Dhurmus-Suntali’s US visit under an extraordinary visa with false and provocative imagery.

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