A video showing bundles of notes stacked in a room has gone viral on social media with a claim that the CBI has recovered ₹96 crore from the Kerala home of BSF commandant Mathew, who was posted at the India-Bangladesh border.
Let’s check the truth
Fact check
A reverse image search with the keyframes of the video led us to a video report uploaded to NDTV’s YouTube account on 17 January, 2018 , containing scenes related to the viral video. The report stated that approximately ₹97 crore worth of demonetised ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes were recovered from a house in Kanpur. These notes were found piled up in a bed.
Moving forward, we also found a News18 report published on 17 January 2018 carrying a screenshot of the viral video, saying, “A large cache of old currency has been seized in Kanpur. The NIA and UP police conducted a joint operation and seized Rs 97 crore worth of old currency, the largest haul of banned currency since demonetisation. Police have arrested 16 people, including Anand Khatri, a prominent builder and textile businessman from the city.”
News agency ANI had also shared these visuals with the same context in January 2018. The Tweet states, “Police seized demonetized currency worth crores from a residential premises in Kanpur”.
Next, we conducted keyword search for the claim made about BSF Commandant Mathew. In this context, we found a report published on the NDTV website on 31 January, 2018. The report states, “A senior officer of the Border Security Force (BSF), Jibu D Mathew, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Kerala for carrying 45 lakhs in cash, allegedly obtained from bribes from cross-border smugglers. Mathew, a commandant tasked with guarding the India-Bangladesh border, was detained after disembarking from a train at Alleppey railway station. The CBI discovered 18 bundles of Rs 2,000 notes totalling 34.4 lakhs and 22 bundles of Rs 500 notes amounting to 10.8 lakhs, concealed in his blue trolley bag under clothes”.
Taking account of these evidences, we can clearly understand that the viral video that claims ₹96 crore in cash was found at the residence of BSF officer Jibu Mathew in Kerala actually shows a raid conducted about eight years ago at a builder’s house in Kanpur, where old notes worth ₹97 crore were discovered. In 2018, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested BSF Commandant Jibu Mathew in Alappuzha, Kerala, charging him with involvement in a case involving ₹45 lakhs.
Conclusion
Fact crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be Misleading. This video shows a raid that took place at the residence of businessman Anand Khatri in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, in January 2018
Title:CBI seizes Rs 96 crore cash from BSF officer’s house in Kerala- Know the truth behind the viral video
Fact Check By: Usha ManojResult: Misleading
