Fact Check: Naxalites blow up Delhi drone factory managed by India, Israel? No, here’s the truth
A video claiming to show Naxalites destroying a drone factory producing Heron and Harop drones for India, Israel and Afghanistan has gone viral.
By - M Ramesh Naik
Claim:The video shows Naxalites carrying out a blast at a drone manufacturing facility supplying Heron and Harop drones to India, Israel and Afghanistan.
Fact:False. The video shows a massive fire that broke out near a fish market in Uttam Nagar, Delhi. There are no verified reports of any attack on a drone production facility.
Hyderabad: A nighttime video showing massive flames and thick smoke engulfing a densely populated area is circulating widely on social media. Users are claiming that it shows a drone manufacturing facility in Delhi destroyed by Naxalites.
An X user shared the video with the caption, “DELHI BLAST 4.0. Multiple reports say the facility destroyed by Naxalites in Delhi was producing Heron & Harop drones for India, Israel & Afghanistan. (sic)”(Archive)
Similar posts can be seen here and here. Although some posts don’t mention that the fire was caused by Naxalites, all claim that a drone manufacturer for Israel in Delhi was attacked and destroyed.(Archive1, Archive2)
But did the attack really happen?
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The viral video does not show any Naxalite attack or blast at a drone manufacturing unit. It is footage from a fire incident in Delhi.
We searched for news reports stating that Naxalites blew up a drone unit in Delhi, but couldn’t find any credible reports. This hinted that the incident may not have happened.
Finding the video online
We noticed that one of the videos shared with the claim has a PTI logo on it.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to an extended footage of a fire shared in an X post by the PTI on March 12. The PTI video is the same as the viral video.
VIDEO | Delhi: Massive fire breaks out in Uttam Nagar near Machhli Mandi. Firefighting operations underway. More details are awaited.(Source: Third Party)(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/R2PyMw7iLh
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 11, 2026
The caption reads, “Delhi: Massive fire breaks out in Uttam Nagar near Machhli Mandi. Firefighting operations underway. More details are awaited.” The visuals match the viral clip exactly, showing intense flames and thick smoke rising from a densely packed residential slum area at night.
Following this lead, a keyword search led us to a report published by Moneycontrol on March 12 titled, ‘Uttam Nagar Fire: Huge fire broke out in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar fish market! 400 slums burnt down.’
According to the report, a massive fire broke out overnight in the slum area of Uttam Nagar in Delhi, reducing nearly 300–400 huts and shanties to ashes. Hundreds of families reportedly lost their homes. Several fire tenders were deployed to control the blaze, and initial reports indicated that no casualties were recorded.
We also found a similar video report published by Republic World on YouTube on March 12 titled, ‘BREAKING: Fire Destroys Fish Market, Damages Several Huts In Slums | Uttam Nagar | Delhi | On Cam.’
The video description states that a massive fire ravaged the fish market in Matiala near Uttam Nagar in West Delhi. Hundreds of slums and shops were destroyed after a late-night blaze erupted around midnight, creating panic in the densely populated area.
The viral video does not show a blast at a drone manufacturing unit. It shows a fire incident near the fish market in Uttam Nagar, Delhi, recorded on the night of March 11-12.
Therefore, the claim is false.
