A disturbing video showing a man standing near the body of a young woman lying motionless in the middle of a busy street in Maharashtra's Palghar district is being shared with a false and communal claim that a Muslim man named Salim murdered a Hindu girl named Aarti.
BOOM found that the claim is false as both the accused named Rohit and victim named Aarti are Hindus. BOOM reached out to Vasai Police who rubbished the claim that the accused is a Muslim and confirmed that the accused and victim are both Hindus.
The one minute and 24 seconds video, recorded by bystanders, show the accused seen holding a spanner in his left hand, standing near the body of the woman lying in the middle of the street as bystanders watch but do not intervene.
The viral video is being shared with a Hindi caption which translates to, "Salim proposed to Aarti, but Aarti refused. After that Salim openly murdered Aarti on the road and stood comfortably near the dead body. No one dared to say anything to him."
(In Hindi - सलीम ने अपने साथ पढ़ने वाली आरती को प्रपोज किया पर आरती ने मना कर दिया उसके बाद सलीम ने खुलेआम रोड में ही आरती का कत्ल कर दिया और लाश के पास आराम से खड़ा हो गया किसी की हिम्मत नहीं हुई उससे कुछ बोलने की)
(BOOM has not included the video due to its graphic nature)
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the claim is false as both the accused named Rohit Yadav (29) and the victim Aarti Yadav (22) are Hindus.
We found several news reports which reported the murder in broad daylight stating that the accused Rohit had killed his ex-girlfriend Aarti on June 18, 2024, around 8:30 am in Chinchpada area of Vasai East, Palghar, Maharashtra.
Rohit Yadav was arrested for killing Aarti Yadav in broad daylight in Waliv area of Vasai. The report further said that according to the police, the accused was upset after he saw her with another man, and that they were both dating earlier, The Indian Express reported.
Hindustan Times reported that Rohit followed Aarti to work when he intercepted her and started assaulting her with a spanner in the middle of the road. The report further added that he continued battering her with the spanner until she collapsed and lay motionless in a pool of blood, with the police claiming that passersby just watched and recorded videos.
According to the police, Rohit and Aarti, both residents of Nalasopara, had been in a relationship for six years. Aarti worked in a factory in Vasai East, while Rohit, who was unemployed, grew upset after seeing her talk to male colleagues. This led to frequent arguments between them according to the police, reported Hindustan Times.
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"Both accused and victim are Hindu:" Vasai Police
BOOM then reached out to Senior Inspector Jairam Ranware of Waliv police station, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Police, who rubbished the viral claim and confirmed that both the accused and victim are Hindus.
"This is incorrect information, both of them (accused and victim) are Hindus only. The accused name is Rohit Yadav," SI Ranware told BOOM.