Top Indian diplomat Sanjeev Mandia arrested after trying to flee Iran

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has checked this content and established that it is false.

To arrive at this verdict, the iVerify Pakistan team investigated the circulated image through a reverse image search and found relevant news articles highlighting the actual event.

HOW IT STARTED

On May 20, 2024, an account describing itself as an open-source intelligence network that discusses conflicts and strategic developments posted an image on X, showing two security personnel arresting a man whose face is covered with a black cloth.

The caption of the post said, “Massive update. One of India’s top diplomats named Sanjeev Mandia from the Indian embassy in Tehran tried to escape from Iran.

“He was arrested at the departure gate of Tehran International Airport by Iranian intelligence and has been moved to a secure location.”

The post gained over 88,000 views on X alone.

The same image was posted by several different X accounts with the same caption here, here and here.

METHODOLOGY

The iVerify Pakistan team sought to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and the serious nature of the claim insinuating Indian involvement in the Iranian president’s death in a helicopter crash.

To investigate the circulated picture, the team conducted a reverse image search, which yielded a news story dated April 12, 2022, from Iraqi newspaper Shafaq News, with the headline, “Iraqi forces arrest eight terrorists in Kirkuk, Erbil, and Al-Anbar.”

According to the news story, the spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces announced the arrest of terrorists, including a prominent Islamic State leader.

The report said that Iraqi forces conducted security operations in the governorates of Kirkuk, Erbil, and Al-Anbar, resulting in the arrest of eight terrorists.

It added that Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service apprehended a notable Islamic State leader.

The image, along with others, was also shared by the Counter-Terrorism Service and military spokesperson Yehia Rasool on April 12 and April 11.

Furthermore, a keyword search for “Indian diplomat”, “Sanjeev Mandia”, “escape” and “Iran” yielded no news reports from credible outlets on the alleged development nor was any Indian diplomat by that name found stationed in Iran or anywhere else.

IRANIAN HELICOPTER CRASH

Iran confirmed on May 20, 2024, that President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border.

A total of nine people were on board the aircraft, according to the Tasnim news agency, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. Raisi’s convoy had included three helicopters, and the other two had “reached their destination safely”, said the news agency.

CONCLUSION

The iVerify Pakistan team has determined that the viral image claiming to show the arrest of Indian diplomat Sanjeev Mandia after trying to escape from Iran is false.

The picture is actually an older and unrelated image of when Iraqi forces arrested eight terrorists in April 2022.

Evidence and References

April 12, 2022, Shafaq News report:
https://shafaq.com/en/Iraq/Iraqi-forces-arrest-eight-terrorists-in-Kirkuk-Erbil-and-Al-Anbar

April 12, 2022, Iranian Counter-Terrorism Service X post:
https://x.com/iraqicts/status/1513602274513371151

April 11, 2022, Iran military spokesperson X post:
https://x.com/IraqiSpoxMOD/status/1513587188541411340?s=20&t=IfHKOFJ-iTUAvDFXzcAcng