Trigger Warning: Violent Content. Viewer discretion is advised. Over the past few months, rumours of child kidnapping have spread like wildfire in many parts of the country based on purported…
Child-theft rumours: A sordid saga unfolds as police look for effective measures
[The following story includes graphic photos and videos. Readers’ discretion is advised.] In the first week of September, Alt News started receiving multiple requests daily to verify audio and videos…
Media houses shared unrelated video from MP as sadhus beaten up for child theft in Maharashtra
In the past few weeks, there have been multiple reports of people getting attacked across the country over rumours of child kidnapping. This wave of rumours began circulating after a…
Video claiming arrest of 28 sadhus in Varanasi for child theft baseless, confirm police
Last month, a CCTV clip of a man abducting a child from Mathura Railway Station went viral on social media. Police later found the child from a BJP councilor’s home….
Videos of a mob thrashing sadhus for petty theft falsely viral as case of child kidnapping
An incident of a child kidnapping from Mathura railway station has created a lot of panic in and around the area. On August 24, a video of a man abducting…
Video of sadhus mistaken for child kidnappers beaten in MP viral as Delhi
A video of two sadhus in a car apprehended by a mob has been shared on social media with the claim that they are child kidnappers. “They look like sadhus…
Unrelated photos, videos revived with false child-kidnapping rumours
A set of videos and images is circulating on WhatsApp with child-lifting rumours. Over the past three years, Alt News has debunked multiple false social media rumours related to child…
Doctored Video: Gorakhpur police warning against false child-lifting rumours clipped and shared online
On August 24, 2022, a video of a man kidnapping a 4-month-old baby from Mathura railway station went viral on social media. Following this, multiple reports started coming in on…
Physically-challenged man beaten to death in UP on false child-kidnapping rumours
On September 2, Facebook user Deepak Bagi posted a disturbing video of a man who is lying supine on the ground while a mob can be heard questioning him about…
Two men dressed as women beaten over false child-kidnapping rumours in Himachal
On August 23, Facebook page Pyara Uttarkhand posted a video where three people are being thrashed by a mob. The video was shared with the narrative that child kidnappers were…