By: Express News ServiceNovember 11, 2025 10:16 PM IST 3 min readA Junnar villager’s AI-generated tiger photo caused panic in a leopard-prone area, prompting a Forest Department probe. (Representational photo)A forest department probe into a viral image of a tiger, purportedly taken in a village in Junnar taluka — an area already grappling with frequent human-leopard conflict — has revealed that the photo was AI-generated and circulated by a local villager. The department has warned of strict action against those spreading rumours or misinformation.The development in Junnar comes days after massive public outrage over three deaths, including of two children in incidents of human leopard conflict in the neighbouring Shirur taluka that had led to arson and blockade on Pune-Nashik Highway. A suspected maneater leopard was shot dead in a late night operation after the incident.A Forest Department officer said that on Monday, a resident of Mangrul village in Junnar, Nitin Laxman Minde, gave an interview to a YouTube channel that his child had seen a tiger. His also shared a photo reportedly taken by her child of the tiger taken inside their fence, claiming that the tiger had been on the prowl in the area. The photo and the YouTube news, which was widely circulated in the area, created panic among villagers where people are already grappling with frequent human-leopard conflict, said the officer.To verify the claim, a team led by Range Forest Officer Chaitanya Kamble visited the area and subsequently questioned the man who had made the claim. The man confessed that he had used an Artificial Intelligence tool to superimpose the image of the tiger on a photo taken outside his home. He also confessed that the video shared with the local channel was false and has given a written statement to the Forest Department in this regard, the officer added.Because of this action, panic spread among villagers in the area, and the dissemination of misinformation created unnecessary fear. The Forest Department has issued a notice to the individual concerned. As per the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Information Technology Act spreading fake information or causing panic through misinformation is a punishable offence and attracts imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to Rs one lakh, the officer added.Officials said that people are hereby urged not to create or share false or misleading information through social media that can cause unnecessary fear among the public. Strict action will be taken by the Forest Department against those responsible.Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:artificial intelligencemale tiger