Child-kidnapping rumours are rampant in the country, with frenzied mobs taking the law in their own hands and thrashing people on the streets over unfounded suspicions of child-lifting. Mentally-challenged people,…
YouTube fails to moderate scripted child-kidnapping videos stoking fear and making money
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…
Staged video of burka-clad man kidnapping a child viral online
A three-minute video that purportedly shows a kidnapping attempt is making the rounds on WhatsApp. In the video, we see a person wearing a burka running hysterically while two men…
Staged child kidnapping video viral yet again
An 8-minute-long video clip that purportedly shows a kidnapping attempt is viral on social media. In the video, we see a woman getting out of an auto-rickshaw with a child….
Staged child kidnapping video from Egypt viral in India targeting Muslims
A 30-second clip circulating on the Indian social media ecosystem – Twitter and Facebook – shows a person in a burqa allegedly drugging a child in public and placing the…
Inside the world of scripted ‘CCTV’ videos on Facebook
Earlier this year, novelist Paulo Coelho tweeted a video from India. The video allegedly shows CCTV footage wherein a physically challenged person is trying to reset a tricycle’s chain on…
Media outlets fall for staged video of groom refusing marriage if not given dowry
A purported video of a groom threatening that he will not go through with the marriage unless he is given a dowry was widespread on social media. The incident was…
Staged child kidnapping video believed to be true on social media
Several social media users have posted a video that shows multiple people allegedly apprehending a man who kidnapped a minor girl in a suitcase. Twitter users @iPSingh_CE, @Rana_Jasvir_007, @abufawaz24 were…
Video claiming mobile phone on charge explodes when man drinks water is staged
Alleged CCTV footage that shows a man speaking on a phone call while charging his phone is viral. The video claims that the phone blasted on his ear when he…
Staged video of ‘army men’ helping pregnant woman carry luggage believed to be true
Twitter user @bindasfauji posted a clip that shows a woman struggling to climb stairs along with her luggage. She was snubbed by civilians when she asked for help but men…