Daijiworld Media Network – Ujjain

Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), Sep 17: A viral story claiming that a woman was caught after 45 years in connection with a jewellery theft in Ujjain after posting an AI-generated 1980s-style photograph on social media is fake.

The story, which circulated widely on social media and several websites, claimed that a woman had stolen a gold necklace from a jewellery shop in Ujjain around 45 years ago and escaped without being traced. According to the viral claim, she later posted an AI-generated photograph of herself as part of the popular 1980s nostalgia trend. The jewellery shop owner allegedly recognised her from the photograph and alerted the police, leading to the reopening of the old case and her subsequent confession.

However, a fact-check by media houses found no evidence that such an incident took place in Ujjain. Ujjain superintendent of police Pradeep Sharma, who confirmed that no such incident had occurred in the district.

The fact-check also found that the newspaper-style image being circulated along with the claim was not genuine. Analysis using AI-image detection tools indicated that the viral image had been generated using artificial intelligence.

There is also no credible police statement or other reliable official evidence confirming the alleged arrest, reopening of a 45-year-old jewellery theft case or confession by the woman. The claim appears to have originated from social media and was subsequently repeated by several news websites as a real incident.

The viral story gained attention because it linked the popular 1980s AI photo trend with an unusual crime-solving twist. However, the available fact-check evidence shows that the purported Ujjain incident did not happen.