An old video from Karachi, Pakistan of a young boy trying to cut the cables beneath an electric pole is being shared on social media with a communal spin claiming it shows a Muslim youth in India damaging public infrastructure.
In the 1.26 minutes video, the boy can be seen pushing a small stick in the gap between the pole and the boundary wall to which it is attached. A man can be heard scolding the boy, in the video. A large open drain can be seen in the clip.
The video is being shared on Facebook with Hindi captions that claim it is from India.
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BOOM also received the viral video on our WhatsApp helpline number (7700906588) inquiring about it.
FACT-CHECK: Boy Damaging Electric Pole Video From Pakistan
BOOM found that the viral video is from Manzoor Colony, Marwat Park, in Karachi, Pakistan, and not from India, as claimed in viral posts
We found the same video was being shared on X in July 2023, by several Indian users with misleading and communal claims. Taking a hint from replies stating that the viral video was from Pakistan and not India, we ran a reverse image search on key-frames from the clip.
The search results showed several posts in Urdu on Facebook and YouTube stating that the location of the incident is from Manzoor Colony, Marwat Park, in Karachi, Pakistan.
Facebook Posts State Video From Manzoor Colony, Marwat Park, Karachi
The caption when translated from this Facebook post dated June 30, 2023 from Urdu to English reads, "Such thieves have children. Daytime street light cables are being cut. No one is going to ask. Manzoor Colony Awami Chowk hill town Marwat Park"
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It was not exactly clear when the video was shot. However it was first posted by Pakistani Facebook users in June 2023.
Geo-located to Marwat Park, Karachi
A Google Maps search for Marwat Park showed that it was located in Karachi, Pakistan, near to Manzoor Colony and Awami Chowk. The drain is also clearly marked on the map which matches the features in the viral video.
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