Fact Check: Viral audio clip of Supriya Sule illegally used bitcoins to push cash into polls is AI generated
Voting for the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra was held, with the ruling Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi contesting
Claim :
Viral audio clip of Supriya Sule illegally used bitcoins to push cash into pollsFact :
Viral audio clip is AI generated to make a false claim
Voting for the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra was held, with the ruling Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi contesting for power in the state. Key contestants are Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his Deputy Devendra Fadnavis, NCP leaders Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar, etc. Several Bollywood stars and leaders were seen voting in the elections.
Meanwhile, a post with a voice clip is going viral, with the claim that it is a phone call between NCP leader Supriya Sule and a person named Gaurav Mehta. The voice clip in English, where a female voice is heard speaking to a person named Gaurav, an associate with Sarathi associates. The voice is heard asking why the other person is not responding to the calls. It also states to cash all the bitcoins, as the elections are approaching, they will need a lot of cash and cashing the bitcoins will help. We can also hear the voice saying not to worry about the inquiry, as when they would come to power, it can be handled. This voice clip went viral with the claim that the voice heard is of NCP leader Supriya Sule.
Several X users shared the voice clip with the captions “These are 3 voice notes between @PawarSpeaks daughter @
BJP Telangana handle also shared the viral post.
Fact Check:
The claim is False. The voice heard is an AI generated audio clip.
When we searched for news reports about the incident, we found reports of the NCP leader denying the allegations that she is involved in illegal bitcoin transactions. Sule responded by stating that the audio was fabricated and expressed confidence that law enforcers would identify those responsible. "I have spoken against Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. I am someone who has raised serious issues about it," she emphasized.
Here is the video interview published by India Today, where we can hear the leader rubbishing the claims.
When we checked the audio using the voice verification tool Hiya embedded in the Invid verification tool, the audio is found to be AI-generated. The analysis is 98% sure that the voice clip is AI generated.
Therefore, the voice heard in the viral posts does not belong to NCP leader Supriya Sule. It is AI generated voice. The claim that Supriya Sule is illegally using bitcoins to bring in cash for the ongoing elections in Maharashtra is False.
