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The arrest of former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Suresh Sallay in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings has been one of the most closely watched criminal matters in Sri Lanka. Against that backdrop, a photo began circulating on social media on 12 June 2026, claiming to show eight simultaneous CCTV camera feeds of Sallay being tortured while in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department. The image spread rapidly. We investigated its authenticity.
Social Media Posts :
The photo, formatted as a CCTV split-screen with cameras labelled 1 through 8, began circulating on 12 June 2026, the same day SLPP MP Chanaka Madugoda raised related concerns in Parliament.
FB
We investigated the authenticity of this image.
Fact-Check :
The Context in Which This Photo Emerged
Suresh Sallay has filed complaints with the Human Rights Commission and the courts, alleging inhumane treatment while in CID custody. On 12 June 2026, SLPP MP Chanaka Madugoda stated in Parliament that although Minister Ananda Wijepala had stated that Sallay was not subjected to any torture or ill-treatment during detention, a Judicial Medical Officer had scientifically confirmed that Sallay displayed the same psychological symptoms seen in a person who has been subjected to torture.
Madugoda also said that Sallay had told his family that cameras surrounded him during detention and that he was tortured and questioned whether a third party had observed this through the CCTV feeds. The full parliamentary statement is below.
The viral photo began spreading on 12 June 2026, the same day as this parliamentary statement. No actual CCTV footage has been released to any media outlet or made available on social media.
Photo Analysis: Three Immediate Red Flags
Although the photo labels feed Camera 1 through Camera 8, a genuine CCTV split-screen would show distinct locations or at least different angles of the same room. All six frames in this image show the same location from the same angle. Only the positions and postures of the people differ. In a real CCTV system, six cameras would never be positioned at the same spot from the same angle.
In a genuine live multi-camera split-screen, the movements of people seen from different angles must be synchronized. In this image, the clothing, positions, and postures of people vary from frame to frame without any synchronization.
In real CCTV footage, the date, exact time (including seconds), and the official camera name are clearly displayed at the top or bottom of each feed. No such timestamp or identifier is visible anywhere in this image.
AI Detection Confirms the Image Was Generated Using Artificial Intelligence
Given these indicators of digital manipulation, we submitted the image to multiple AI detection tools. The results showed an extremely high probability that the image was generated using artificial intelligence.
Several social media users also noted that Facebook had attached an “AI Info” label to the photo when it was shared, consistent with the platform’s own AI detection system flagging it.
The government and police had also previously and officially denied the torture allegations. That denial is available here.
Police Media Spokesperson
We contacted Police Media Spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police F.U. Wutler, directly. He confirmed that the photos are fake and have been digitally edited.
Court Orders and Ongoing Legal Proceedings
Former MP Udaya Gammanpila and several opposition parties had publicly accused police of brutally assaulting and torturing Sallay while in custody.
The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court appointed a special five-member panel of expert forensic doctors and psychiatrists to investigate whether Sallay was subjected to torture while in CID custody.
Sallay’s health deteriorated following a hunger strike he began in protest at his treatment in custody. He is currently receiving treatment at the National Hospital, Colombo (NHSL).
The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court rejected a request by Sallay’s lawyers to allow his wife and son to visit him in hospital daily. The Magistrate stated he had no authority to issue such an order as the suspect was held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
The Court of Appeal adjourned until 10 July 2026 the consideration of a writ petition filed by Sallay seeking to quash the detention order.
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka launched a separate investigation following a complaint by Sallay’s relatives and summoned the CID officers conducting the investigation to appear before the Commission.
NB: This investigation examines only the authenticity of the photograph. The question of whether Suresh Sallay was actually subjected to torture by the CID is a separate matter, which we cannot independently verify, and is not the subject of this fact-check.
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Conclusion :
Our investigation confirms that the photo circulating on social media, purporting to show former State Intelligence Service Director Suresh Sallay being tortured while in CID custody as captured on eight CCTV cameras, is not a genuine photograph. It was generated using artificial intelligence. Multiple AI detection tools confirmed this, as did the Police Media Division.
The image contains three clear forensic red flags: all frames show the same location from the same angle, the movements of people across frames are not synchronized, and no timestamps or camera identifiers are visible anywhere. No actual CCTV footage has been made available through any official or media channel. The question of whether Sallay was subjected to torture is the subject of separate court and Human Rights Commission proceedings that remain ongoing.
Title: No, the Photo Showing Suresh Sallay Being Tortured on Eight CCTV Cameras Is Not Real; It Is AI-Generated
Fact Check By: Pavithra Sandamali
Result: Altered
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