Fact Check: Bhojraj Thapa’s Illness Exploited To Spread Disturbing AI Images For Likes And Views
पुस २९, २०८२ १५:५३
Kathmandu: Photos of YouTuber Bhojraj Thapa lying in a hospital bed due to illness have been circulating widely on social media for the past few days. Heartbreaking images claiming to show Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane and Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) visiting him and shedding tears have gained significant attention on Facebook.
A fact check conducted by the TechPana Fact Check Desk confirms that Bhojraj Thapa is indeed ill. However, the photos claiming to show Rabi Lamichhane and Balen Shah meeting him in the hospital are AI-generated.
Claim
On Saturday night at 7:31 pm, a Facebook page named ‘comrade jamu’ published a post claiming that Bhojraj Thapa was ill. The post reads, “Everyone, write ‘Get well soon’ to Bhojraj Thapa.” (Translated) In the photo shared with the post, Bhojraj Thapa is seen lying on a hospital bed wearing an oxygen mask, while a doctor appears to be examining him. Standing beside him, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane is seen folding his hands with a sorrowful expression on his face.
As of the time of preparing this report, the post had received more than 20,000 likes, over 4,500 comments, and 251 shares. Most users commented wishing Thapa a speedy recovery. Post, archive link, and screenshot.
Investigation
After the image shared by ‘comrade jamu’, which appeared to show Bhojraj Thapa being ill and Rabi Lamichhane visiting him in the hospital, went viral, we searched for other similar posts on social media. During this process, we found that a Facebook user named ‘Narayan Bc’ had also shared a similar image in the ‘Bhojraj Thapa’ Facebook group.
In the post, which was made public at 10:47 am on Sunday, Bhojraj Thapa is again seen lying on a hospital bed wearing an oxygen mask. The caption reads, “We reached early in the morning to meet Bhojraj. Everyone please wish him a speedy recovery.” (Translated) As of the time of writing, the post had received more than 16,000 reactions and over 3,600 comments. Post, archive link, and screenshot.
Similarly, at 4:03 pm on Sunday, another Facebook account named ‘Bikram King’ shared a post of the same nature. The post reads, “Bhojraj Thapa suddenly admitted to hospital, everyone please write Get Well Soon ❤️🙏😭😭.” (Translated) By the time this report was prepared, the post had received more than 3,200 reactions. Post, archive link, and screenshot.
In the same way, a Facebook page named ‘Miss Pabi 41’ shared a photo at 12:05 pm on Thursday showing Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah, Rabi Lamichhane, and Bhojraj Thapa together in what appears to be a hospital setting. The caption reads, “Rabi and Balen went to meet Bhojraj, everyone please write Get Well Soon ❤️🙏😭😭.” (Translated) As of the time of preparing this content, the post had received more than 11,000 likes and over 15 comments. See post, archive link, and screenshot.
The Facebook page ‘Miss Pabi 41’ was also found to have shared another post related to Bhojraj Thapa. At 8:46 am, the page published a post claiming that Rabi Lamichhane had gone to meet Thapa early in the morning. The post had received more than 15,000 likes and over 2,400 comments at the time of writing. The caption reads, “Rabi dai reached Bhojraj early in the morning to meet him, everyone please write Get Well Soon ❤️🙏😭😭.” (Translated) The image shows Rabi Lamichhane looking emotional and folding his hands toward Bhojraj Thapa. Post, archive link, and screenshot.
The images circulating across social media platforms have collectively received thousands of likes and reactions. However, at first glance, the photos appear to be artificially generated. Due to this suspicion, we tested the images using an AI detection tool.
First, the image shared by ‘comrade jamu’, which includes Rabi Lamichhane, was tested using the AI detection tool Hive Moderation. The tool showed that the image was 99.9 percent AI-generated, with a high likelihood that the image was created using Gemini.
Similarly, the images shared by ‘Narayan Bc’ and ‘Miss Pabi 41’ showing Rabi Lamichhane appearing emotional were also tested using Hive Moderation. These images were likewise identified as AI-generated, with a strong probability that Gemini was used in their creation.
The image shared by the Facebook account ‘Bikram King’ was also tested using Hive Moderation. The result showed that the image was 96.9 percent likely to be AI-generated. The analysis suggested that an AI image generation tool was used to create the photo.
The photos of Ravi, Balen, and Bhojraj posted on ‘Miss Pabi 41’ also appear to have been created by AI. The tool appears to have been created using VO3.
To understand whether Bhojraj Thapa was actually ill, we searched for posts made by Thapa himself and his close relatives. During this process, we found that Bhojraj Thapa had posted information about his illness on his official Facebook page ‘Bhoj Raj Thapa’. In a public post made at 8:43 pm on Saturday, Thapa wrote, “My two loved ones who came to visit because a friend is sick ❤️.” The post included photos. Post and screenshot.
Similarly, at 11:06 am on Saturday, Thapa’s nephew Sanam GC shared a video on Facebook wishing Thapa a speedy recovery. In the video, Bhojraj Thapa is seen lying on a hospital bed while drinking something from a glass. A needle appears to be inserted into his arm, suggesting that medication is being administered. Watch the video.
In the video, Bhojraj Thapa is seen wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a cap, rather than standard hospital patient clothing. He is not seen in a critical condition requiring oxygen support, as shown in the viral images circulating on social media.
Claim
Social media posts claim that while YouTuber Bhojraj Thapa is lying ill in a hospital bed, Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane and Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah visited him at the hospital. The images also claim to show Rabi Lamichhane crying and praying with folded hands.
Claimants
Facebook users and pages including ‘comrade jamu’, ‘Narayan Bc’, ‘Bikram King’, and ‘Miss Pabi 41’.
Fact
When the viral images were tested using the AI detection tool Hive Moderation, it was confirmed that the images were between 96.9 percent and 99.9 percent AI-generated. Some of the images also showed visible characteristics commonly associated with AI-generated visuals.
It is confirmed that Bhojraj Thapa is ill, based on posts shared on his official Facebook account and photos and videos shared by his close relative Sanam GC. However, the images claiming that Rabi Lamichhane and Balen Shah visited him in the hospital and showing an emotional or heartbreaking scene were created using artificial intelligence.
Conclusion
While it is true that YouTuber Bhojraj Thapa is ill, the viral images claiming to show Rabi Lamichhane and Balen Shah visiting him in the hospital and appearing emotional are misleading and AI-generated. These images were created using artificial intelligence to portray a dramatic hospital scene involving political leaders.
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पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: पुस २९, २०८२ १५:५३
