Pakistani propaganda accounts and their associated users are continuously sharing fake and misleading information on social media regarding the Indian state of Manipur. These users are sharing images of 500 rupee currency notes, claiming that Manipur has issued its own currency, separate from the Indian rupee. The note bears the inscription “Central Bank of Manipur.”
Sharing the currency, a user wrote, “The new currency of the Republic of Manipur. A historic step towards economic independence and national identity, the Republic of Manipur proudly introduces its new currency. This milestone marks a new era of financial sovereignty, growth, and self-reliance for the country.”
Fact Check:
The DFRAC team investigated the viral currency and found it to be fake. Neither the Manipur government has issued such currency, nor does Manipur have a Central Bank of Manipur . Our team first investigated the viral currency and found that it was created by AI. When we tested it on the AI-detection tool Hive Moderation, we found that it had a 99.9 percent chance of being AI-generated.
To investigate further, our team attempted to gather information about the Central Bank of Manipur. We found district-wise bank data from the Finance Department of the Manipur government.
The Central Bank of Manipur is nowhere to be found on this list.
Conclusion:
A DFRAC fact check clearly shows that the Manipur government has not issued new currency. The viral images of the alleged currency are AI-generated. Therefore, the user’s claim is false.
