Image From Egypt Spread With a False Communal Angle in India

We found out that the man in the viral image was carrying a mannequin and not a dead body.

This photo is being shared as one from India and with false communal claims.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A picture that shows a man on a motorcycle with a 'body' wrapped in what appears to be a cloth bag is being shared on the internet.

What is the claim?: The claim said that Binita, a Hindu girl from Rajasthan, fell in love with a Muslim youth named Muhammad (the biker), a fruitseller. It further said that the girl ran away from home with Muhammad and was later killed.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Archives of similar claims can be found here, here and here). We received a query on our WhatsApp tipline about this claim.

What is the truth?: The claim is being shared with a false communal angle.

• The image is actually from Cairo, Egypt.

• It shows Muhammad Nasr, who works for a transport company, carrying a mannequin on his bike.

How did we find out?: We performed a reverse image search and found a news report on Cairo24 that carried the viral image.

• The headline, when translated from Arabic to English using Google Translate, said, "My life is destroyed.. The first comment from the owner of the corpse photo on the controversial motorcycle."

• The report noted that Muhammad, the biker, was making a mannequin delivery in the Al-Mokattam area in Cairo.

• The image also went viral on social media in Egypt with claims that the biker was travelling with a dead body.

This report was published on 2 June.  

• A keyword search in Arabic led us to a different report published on Cairo24.

• It reported on the investigation by the Ministry of Interior that revealed the truth about the biker making a mannequin delivery in the Al-Mokattam area.

Other sources: We also came across a video in an Arabic RT report where the biker described his plight after the picture went viral on the internet.

• The Quint found a post by a shop in Egypt named "BG Collection." The post read that the delivery was being made for BG Collection from Gamal Abder Nasser Branch to Al-Mokattam branch.

• The post was uploaded on 30 May.

• The Rajasthan Police tweeted against the claim and announced it as fake.

Conclusion: The image shows the man carrying a mannequin and not a dead body. It is being falsely linked to Rajasthan and shared with a communal spin.

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