A video of a constable being beaten for allegedly stealing shirts from a mall in Lucknow has gone viral on social media, with the false claim that his name is ‘Salim.’
The video shows the constable being held by his shirt and getting beaten by the mob of people around him. However, the cop’s name is Adesh Kumar – not Salim – who was suspended by the Commissioner of Police, Lucknow, Dhruva Kant Thakur, after the matter came to light.
The Station House Officer (SHO) at the Hussainganj Police Station confirmed to The Quint’s WebQoof team that his name is indeed Adesh Kumar, however the charges of stealing against the constable haven’t been confirmed yet.
CLAIM
The video was shared with the claim,
“सलीम का सिनेमा बन गया लखनऊ: मॉल में खरीदारी करने गए सिपाही सलीम की चोरी के आरोप में हुई पिटाई,,,, ट्रायल रूम में वर्दी के नीचे चोरी कर तीन शर्ट पहन कर निकले सलीम की पोल खुली।”
(Translation: “A show was made out of Salim. Lucknow: The soldier, who went shopping in the mall, was beaten on the charge of theft, Saleem’s trick was revealed when he came out of the trial room wearing three shirts under the uniform.”)
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
Through a relevant keyword search, we came across several news reports on the incident, dated 26 February.
A report by Hindi daily, Amar Ujala states that a constable was caught by the employees while allegedly stealing clothes at the VMart Mall in Hussainganj, in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow.
The report further states that the policeman had hid three shirts underneath his police uniform in the trial room and when he tried to exit, an alarm at the gate alerted the employees.
When a fight broke out, the Hussainganj Police reached the spot to resolve the matter, and the constable paid for the shirts thereafter.
The constable was identified as Adesh Kumar, who was was suspended by Lucknow Commissioner of Police after the matter came to light.
A report by the AajTak also identifies the policeman as Adesh Kumar.
The Quint’s WebQoof team also reached out to SHO Dinesh Kumar Bisht at the Hussainganj Police Station, who confirmed that the constable in the viral video is indeed Adesh Kumar, who was posted at the police lines.
He further stated that Kumar was suspended but the matter is still under investigation and the allegations of stealing have not been confirmed yet. Charges have also been filed against the employees of the mall for beating up the constable.
Evidently, the viral video of the constable is being shared with the false claim that his name is ‘Salim.’
(With inputs from SM Hoax Slayer)
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