A dramatised video of a man being apprehended by passersby while trying to escape with a kidnapped toddler inside a travel bag is going viral on social media as a real incident.
BOOM found that the video has been scripted and was posted from a Facebook page named Raju Bharti.
The video shows a group of people questioning a man, with a suspicious looking travel bag. He then gives in and opens the bag to reveal that he was carrying a toddler in it. It is found that the toddler was lured with toffees. The man later revealed that the toddler was kidnapped from a nearby area. The 5 minute long video then ends with people calling the cops.
The video has been shared on Facebook with a caption in English, "Kidnapping kids in Suitcase"
The same video is viral on Facebook with a caption in Hindi which states that the incident is a real one from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. The caption in Hindi translates to, "In Azamgarh children have been disappearing these days. Please inform your family members and children...if you see a stranger in your village please question them and tell them to leave the village ".
Original text in Hindi: "आजमगढ़ मे आये दिन आजकल कही ना कही ऐसे घटना हो रही बच्चे गायब हो रहे.. सब लोग अपने बच्चो और घर वालो को ज़रूर इन्फॉर्म करे... अगर गाँव मे कोई अनजान इंसान दिखे तो उससे ज़रूर पूछताछ करे और गाँव से बाहर जाने को बोले"
BOOM also received the video via its WhatsApp helpline for verification.
Fact Check
BOOM ran a reverse image search using keyframes of the video and found the video was posted on a Facebook page named Raju Bharti.
Bharti posted the extended version of the video (6:13 minutes) on December 27, 2021. We found a clarification on Bharti's post stating that the video is fictional.
The clarification read, "This page features fictional videos; All characters appearing in the video are fictitious. The videos made are inspired by true events and are made with a motto to spread social awareness. We anyhow don't mean to defame, disrespect any religion, caste, nationality, sex, gender or any individual in any manner. zukerberg" (sic.)
Bharti identified himself as a comedian on his Facebook page. We found several such scripted videos posted on the the page earlier. See two such videos here and here.
An actor seen in the viral video can also be seen in one of Raju Bharti's Facebook post. Identified as Bittu Kumar, he features in a live Facebook video with Bharti. See the live video here.