A set of visuals that purportedly show a man inappropriately touching a burqa-clad woman has gone viral on social media with a claim that they show a recent incident Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.
What we found: At first, we ran a Google reverse image search on the visuals and found a report by India Today dated 4 August.
The report noted that in Moradabad’s Gol Kothi Wali Gali, CCTV footage captured a man approaching a burqa‑clad woman walking alone and groping her from behind in daylight.
The Nagphani police station registered a First Information Report (FIR) and launched an investigation, pledging to identify and arrest the perpetrator.
The report included a video interview of the Superintendent of Police (SP) in this matter.
A keyword search on Google led us to a report by the Times of India which noted that a 28-year-old man, identified as Mohammad Aadil, was arrested by the police following an encounter in Moradabad for allegedly harassing a Muslim woman.
The report also said that the accused was shot in his left leg during the chase.
The police said that Aadil was spotted when they were running an awareness campaign about drones in the neighbouring areas.
The accused was on a motorcycle when he spotted the police and in the bit to flee, Aadil reportedly opened fire at them.
The police responded by shooting back, wounding him in the leg and capturing him at the location. Officials confiscated the unregistered car, a homemade gun, and some bullets.
In a post on X, the police uploaded their statement and told the press that Aadil confessed to the crime.
The Quint also spoke to the local police in Moradabad who denied a communal angle in this matter.
Conclusion: Visuals showing a man harassing a Muslim woman in Moradabad have gone viral with a false communal claim that the accused belonged to the Hindu religion.
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