Gangster Goldy Brar was not killed in a shootout in California on Wednesday, US Police clarified amid a whirlwind of speculation on social media platforms. The notorious gangster is the prime accused in the murder of singer Sidhu Moose Wala and has also orchestrated attacks on Salman Khan.

The rumours of his death first emerged on social media on Wednesday morning and then spread like wildfire across news websites. Videos of the shooting also went viral, further fueling the frenzy. However, upon investigation, these videos were found to be old recordings, not related to the California incident.

The narrative going viral on social media suggested that Goldy Brar, along with associates of gangsters Pavit Singh and Jaggoo Bhagnapuria, was involved in a scuffle at a club in Fresno, California. During the altercation, gunfire erupted, resulting in Brar’s death, the rumours said. Gangster Arsh Dalla allegedly claimed responsibility for the murder.

Simultaneously, reports emerged of a shooting incident in Fresno, where two individuals were shot and hospitalized in critical condition. However, the identity of the victims remained undisclosed by the California police.

Later in the day, Lieutenant William J Dooley of the Fresno Police Department clarified that the victim of the shooting incident in Fresno was not Goldy Brar, debunking the rumors circulating online.

“If you are inquiring because of the online chatter claiming that the shooting victim is ‘Goldy Brar’, we can confirm that this is absolutely not true,” Dooley told the media.

Security agencies in India echoed similar sentiments, stating that they had no information regarding Goldy Brar’s death.

Following the denial, security agencies in California delved into a shooting incident that occurred on April 30 to ascertain the truth behind the claims. The focus shifted to determining whether Goldy Brar was indeed shot after a brawl or if another individual was involved in the shooting.

New Delhi:

The police are fighting an onslaught of online misinformation after a cop was seen kicking a small group of men offering namaz in Delhi. In a recent fact-check, the police have debunked a claim that the officer was attacked by a mob on Saturday.

On Sunday, a user shared a video on X (formerly Twitter), claiming, “Inspector Manoj Tomar was attacked in the presence of police.” The video showed a crowd gathered in the Inderlok area where the incident occurred on Friday.

But the police said the officer was not present in the video and the clashes occurred after he was taken to a police post.

This is wrong information. The mentioned SI is not present in this video.

The video is not of yesterday (Saturday) but of Friday, 8th March, when protestors had gathered in Inderlok. Locals escorted police officers to the police post after which scuffle took place.@CPDelhihttps://t.co/pEHesmoySW

— DCP North Delhi (@DcpNorthDelhi) March 10, 2024

“This is wrong information. The mentioned SI is not present in this video. The video is not of yesterday (Saturday) but of Friday, 8th March, when protestors had gathered in Inderlok. Locals escorted police officers to the police post after which scuffle took place,” said DCP, North Delhi.

The users, however, are not satisfied with the clarification. The user who had shared the clip pointed out that “yahi hai…maaro” could be heard in the video.

In a shocking 34-second video from Friday, Sub-inspector Manoj Kumar Tomar was seen trying to disperse a few men praying near a mosque in Inderlok. In what seemed like a sudden burst of rage, he kicked two men from behind. In another video, he is seen violently shoving the men who were praying.

Following the incident, angry protesters blocked the road to demand action against the cop. Security was stepped in the area and the cops held a flag march. Locals were told not to believe in rumours.

Tomar has been suspended and faces disciplinary action. A departmental inquiry has been initiated against him, police sources told NDTV.

Brussels:

Facebook owner Meta will set up a team to tackle disinformation and the abuse of generative artificial intelligence in the run-up to European Parliament elections in June amid concerns about election interference and misleading AI-generated content.

The rapid growth of generative AI, which can create text, images and video in seconds in response to prompts, has triggered fears that the new technology could be used to disrupt major elections across the world this year.

European Parliament elections will take place June 6-9. Its 720 lawmakers, together with EU governments, pass new EU policies and laws.

“As the election approaches, we’ll activate an Elections Operations Center to identify potential threats and put mitigations in place in real time,” Marco Pancini, Meta’s head of EU affairs, said in a blogpost.

He said experts from the company’s intelligence, data science, engineering, research, operations, content policy and legal teams will focus on combating misinformation, tackling influence operations and counter the risks related to the abuse of generative AI.

Meta, which currently works with 26 independent fact-checking organisations across the European Union covering 22 languages, will add three new partners in Bulgaria, France, and Slovakia, Pancini said.

Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and 17 other tech companies earlier this month agreed to work together to prevent deceptive artificial-intelligence content from interfering with elections across the globe this year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)