Claim: Karsaz accident driver Natasha Danish Ali held up the victory sign outside court. Images of her holding up the sign insinuate that she has been acquitted of the case.
Fact: The images are fake and have been generated using artificial intelligence. Natasha Danish has not been acquitted of murder charges, and remains under investigation.
Many social media users believed and shared the image, including prominent figures such as Naeem Bukhari who shared the image on 23 August 2024, and journalists such as Hamid Mir and Asma Shirazi.
Fact or Fiction?
On August 19, a deadly accident took place at Karachi’s Karsaz Road leaving two people dead and several others injured. CCTV footage revealed the driver, Natasha Danish Ali, to be driving rashly, overspeeding in a service lane, and ramming her SUV into a motorbike.
The incident became viral across Pakistan, with calls for justice for the deceased. It also promoted nationwide discussions on the discrimination of law for the rich and poor, as Natasha hails from a wealthy and powerful family.
An image of her after the accident was widely used by publications and social media users where Natasha can be seen in a white T-shirt and black tights.
Soon after the incident went viral, there were rumours of her fleeing Pakistan to Dubai. Among the misinformation was also the image of Natasha holding up a victory sign outside a court in Karachi. Two separate images have been circulating on the internet, with distinct differences in ‘Natasha’s’ facial features in both pictures.
To investigate the claim, Soch Fact Check reverse-searched the first image image which led to a post from August 23 2024, by an account named ‘Barrister Janat’, whose bio states “I post Ai edited & generated content,” shared the photo with the caption: Natasha danish Iqbal ✌
I stand with you at all costs”.
It is likely that an AI-image generator had been fed images of Natasha and told to create an image outside a court, holding up the victory/peace sign. She is also seen to be wearing the same clothes she was wearing four days prior, at the sight of the accident.
Moreover, the images bear the hallmarks of AI-generated photos; specifically the texture of the hair, the shape of the hands and the overly rendered quality of the images.
In both images, a building is shown with the word ‘court’ written on a signboard. The colour and font of the sign also differ in both images. Generally, court buildings do not simply have ‘court’ written on them; they specify which court it is.
There are still developments taking place in the case investigation. As late as 28 August, the Sindh police revealed that Natasha’s toxicology report showed she was under the influence of crystal meth at the time of the accident.
Virality
Social media users shared the images across platforms. On X (formerly Twitter), the image was shared here, here, here and here.
On Facebook it was shared here and here.
Conclusion:
Natasha had not been acquitted from the case. The image of her holding up the victory sign outside a courthouse is likely AI-generated.