A scripted video of a fruit vendor duping customers is being shared on social media with a fake and communal caption claiming that the fruit seller is a Muslim.
BOOM found that the viral video has been created by a content creator and the claims are unrelated.
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BOOM has earlier debunked several scripted videos that have been passed off with unrelated communal claims on social media. Read here.
Although several content creators upload such videos with disclaimers stating these are for 'educational purposes', yet these clips are prone to abuse as they are later cropped and shared with captions targeting minorities. This particular video, however, has no such disclaimers.
The video shows a fruit vendor cheating customers by short-weighing fruits until two persons step in and slap him before revealing his act to others.
A Hindi caption with a Facebook post sharing the video translates 'Watch this video before buying anything from Muslim jihadis. Fruit vendor's video. Ask the name before purchasing anything. Be aware and make others aware too'.
(Hindi: मुस्लिम जिहादियों से कुछ खरीदने से पहले ये वीडियो देखो फल वाले की वीडियो नाम पूछ के समान लो और जागरूक रहो औरों को जागरूक करो)
BOOM also received the video on its helpline number with a similar claim.
Fact Check
BOOM did a keyword search on Facebook with the caption accompanying the video being circulated on WhatsApp. The caption, in Hindi, translates to 'This fruit vendor's video of jihadis 'watch what you purchase stay aware make others aware'.
(Hindi: जिहादियों का अब ये भी फल वालो की वीडियो ` देख के समान लो और जागरूक रहो औरों को जागरूक करो ।)
We found a Facebook post sharing the same video with a slightly different caption and a notification by Facebook reading 'Watch more original videos by: Raju Bharti'.
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BOOM checked Raju Bharti's Facebook profile. We found several scripted videos on the timeline. We also checked the Instagram handle and YouTube channel linked to the page and found that unlike the Facebook page, the other social media platforms linked to Bharti clearly mention him as an actor and content creator.
The About section on the verified YouTube channel Bharti Prank linked to Raju Bharti's Facebook page reads 'This channel is related to fun and entertainment'. The channel has over 2.8 million subscribers.
BOOM also found the video uploaded on, both, the Facebook page and the YouTube channel.
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The same video was uploaded on Raju Bharti's Facebook page on March 26, 2022 without any communal claim. The caption with the video reads 'United state'. Several captions with the video suggest that it is a scripted act.
The video has over 109,000 shares and 13,000 comments.
The same video was also uploaded on the Bharti Prank YouTube channel on March 21 with a Hindi title translating to 'You will be shocked after watching this shameful act of the fruit vendor'.
(Hindi: फल वाले का घिनैना हरकत देख कर आपका होश उड़ जायेगा ||)
Going through the timeline of Bharti's Facebook page, BOOM found another similar video with the script being slight tweaked to show a vegetable vendor, instead of a fruit seller, short-weighing and cheating a customer. The same person appears in this video too apprehending the vegetable seller for cheating the customer.
The caption with the video uploaded on February 8, 2022 translates to 'United State: Vegetable vendor does wrong with girl'.
(Hindi: united state सब्जी वाले ने लड़की साथ किया गलत काम | )
Click here to view the video.
BOOM has contacted the YouTube channel of Raju Bharti over email and the report will be updated once we hear from them.