CLAIM
A video which purportedly shows Gorakhpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Kaustubh warning people against child lifters in the area is being shared on Facebook. As per the video, Kaustubh is urging people to be careful of the beggars around them and take care of their children.
The text along with the video reads, “ऐसा भिकारी बनकर बहुत लोग निकले हैं बच्चों को पकड़ने के लिए कृपया आप सावधान रहें और अपने बच्चे को भी सावधान रखे क्योंकि हमारे इलाके में अभी बहुत सारे आदमी पकड़ा गए हैं जैसे कि यह वीडियो देख रहे हैं |”
It loosely translates to, “Be careful of the people disguised as beggars around you and take care of your children. A lot of men, like the one you can see in the video, have been arrested from our area.”
The same post has been shared by multiple other users on Facebook.
TRUE OR FALSE
The video has been edited to weave a narrative of fear among people, especially at a time when rumours on WhatsApp are being circulated warning people against child lifters.
The video clipping is of ‘Gorakhpur News’ which has been edited in a manner that it appears like the cop is warning people about the presence of child lifters. But, in reality, he is rubbishing the rumours and clarifying that the Gorakhpur police has not made any such statement.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT?
We searched for ‘Gorakhpur News’ on YouTube and found the same video. The video starts with the anchor introducing the child lifting rumours issue in hand and then goes on to clarify that the Gorakhpur Police hasn’t issued the message.
However, the video has been edited from where the anchor starts reading the viral message to make it look like that the cop is issuing a warning.
At around 1:50 seconds, SP Kaustubh can be heard clarifying that the police has not issued any such message and that they have time and again refuted these claims. He added that, if there is any incident like the one mentioned in the viral message, then the people should notify the police.
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