Scripted Video from Egypt shared as Muslims kidnapping Hindu boy

A video of a burqa-clad person sedating and kidnapping a boy with the help of accomplices is being shared widely on social media platforms. The video is being peddled as Muslims kidnapping Hindu boys. However, when we verified the video, we found it to be scripted and not related to India. 

Communal Narrative on Social Media

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The tweet above shows a burqa-clad person sedating a young man after approaching him pretending to beg for alms. Once the man falls unconscious, the person’s accomplices come in an auto-rickshaw and kidnap the man. The caption of the tweet implies that these are Muslims kidnapping a Hindu boy. 

The same video can also be found on Facebook with the same caption.

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Fact Check

We took some screenshots of the viral video and searched them using reverse image search. As a result, we found various reports in Arabic on this issue. The video is not from India, it is from Egypt. According to the reports, the video was scripted and it is not a real incident. 

The video was apparently made for awareness but it went viral on social media as ‘a 15 year old boy kidnapped by a group in a tuk-tuk’. However, the Egyptian authorities have clarified that the video is scripted and the people who made the video were arrested. The ministry of interior informed the media that the 4 men who made this video are residents of Sohag Governorate in Egypt. They have confessed that they had made this video. The person in burqa is one of these men. They told police that they did this for viewers and earning money from social media.

Conclusion

The viral video showing a group of men kidnapping a young man in a rickshaw is scripted. The video is from Egypt and has no relation with India. Moreover, the video is being shared with a misleading communal claim targeting Muslims.