Old video of railway track tampering from Pakistan goes viral linking to India

The viral video is from Karachi, Pakistan, and it dates back to December 2023.

A video of three children attempting to unbolt a railway track, with claims stating that the incident occurred in India is going viral on social media. In the video, three children, dressed in kurtas, appear to be tampering with the railway tracks. One of them can be seen loosening the bolts of a fish plate with a large spanner, while another child can be seen collecting the bolts in a sack.

Users who shared the video tagged the Indian Ministry of Railways, urging Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to take action.

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Fact Check

We started our investigation by running a Google reverse image search, whose result led us to a Facebook account named Pakistani Trains. The same viral video was uploaded there on 5 December, 2023. The post stated that the incident occurred at the Sartaj Khan Phatak railway line near Boat Basin Police Station in Karachi, Pakistan.

Moving forward, we have come across  Facebook post by Pakistan’s Karachi South Zone Police Media Cell. They shared the same video on 5 December, 2023. The post in Urdu, reports on a case of theft of track nut bolts from the Sartaj Khan Phatak railway line, near Boat Basin Chowki. The post further states that “Under the direction of DIG South, SHO Bot Besan took action and brought the juveniles who stole goods from the railway gate to the police station. As the children are small, the parents of the children were called to the police station. Those who have been warned about child abduction should keep an eye on their children and keep a close eye on their unusual daily activities. The children were handed over to their parents after being assured by the parents”.

As per a report published by the Pakistani media outlet Express Tribune in September 2022, there have been numerous incidents of railway equipment theft in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. Railway officials stated that assets worth Pakistani Rs 88.581 million have been stolen since 2018, including railway tracks, fish plates, rods, and heating bolts.

Taking account of all these evidences, we can understand that the video showing three boys tampering with a railway track is from Karachi, Pakistan not from India.

Conclusion

Fact Crescendo found that the claim made along with the viral video to be False. The video is from Karachi, Pakistan and it dates back to December 2023.