Old CCTV footage of woman kidnapped in Karnataka viral as UP

In the backdrop of the uproar against the alleged gang-rape of a Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, a CCTV footage of a woman being kidnapped in broad daylight is viral with the claim that the incident took place in Uttar Pradesh. In the video, two women are seen walking when a white Innova stops and a man pulls one of them into the car. As per social media claims, the incident took place in UP.

उत्तर प्रदेश में दिनदहाड़े बेटियों को उठाया जा रहा है अंधभक्त अभी भी आंखों पर पट्टी चढ़ाए हैं#मीडिया_योगी_का_इस्तीफा_माँगो pic.twitter.com/5x01VOkA43

— शबीना बानो (@ShabinaBano_) October 4, 2020

The video is viral on Facebook ( 1, 2, 3 ) and Twitter (1, 2, 3).

Incident from Karnataka

A video of the CCTV footage playing on television was shot on camera. In the background, people can be heard speaking in Kannada. Taking this as a clue, we performed a keyword search and found multiple reports of this incident from Kolar district, Karnataka in August 2020. The same was reported by The News Minute (TNM) with the headline, “Karnataka man kidnaps woman in broad daylight for refusing marriage, caught on CCTV.”

Karnataka man kidnaps woman in broad daylight for refusing marriage, caught on CCTVhttps://t.co/JrABexHFYs

— The News Minute (@thenewsminute) August 15, 2020

According to a statement by Kolar Superintendent of Police to TNM, the woman was kidnapped and kept in a lodge in Tumkur district where the kidnapper tried to convince her to marry him. “Around 10 am, we tracked the kidnappers after we chased them on foot. While the woman was rescued and is being brought back to Kolar, the kidnappers escaped,” said SP Karthik Reddy.

According to the report, the woman was reunited with her family on August 14 while the police was still searching for the accused persons.

It is clear that an incident from Karnataka is being shared with a false caption to portray lawlessness in Uttar Pradesh.