Fact Check: IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Thanking Nirmala Sitharaman on Twitter For 'Looking at Him' is a Fake Account

With Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman returned from Pakistan on Friday and Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sithraman meeting him in hospital on Saturday, various congratulatory messages have been pouring in for the braveheart. Soon after landing in India, the first comment that the IAF pilot said that he was subjected to mental harassment during his nearly 60-hour captivity in Pakistan. Among various tweets, a specific tweet was posted from a private handle stating “Thank you for respecting me and looking at me mam @nsitharaman”.

The tweet has been posted 16 hours ago and was retweeted 21 times. It was liked by 240 social media users, and six people have commented on it. At first sight, this Twitter handle gives an impression of Wing Commander Abhinandan’s account. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman Remains in High Spirit Despite Mental Harassment in Pakistan. 

However, the government sources have confirmed that the account is fake and has nothing to do with Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. It is to be noted that within days of creating an account, 80 tweets were posted and 2,042 people started following IAF pilot.

The reason being, the government sources are confirming this to be a fake account is to avoid confusion among social media. Since, the social media is full of people spreading misinformation, we at LatestLy request our readers to take the utmost care before following or commenting on social media accounts and refrain from being moved by misinformation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 03, 2019 10:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).