A set of photos of a female Punjab Police constable who was killed in a road accident are being shared online falsely claiming that she was raped and murdered.
BOOM spoke to Amritsar Rural Police who rubbished the claim that she was raped and stated that she was killed in a road accident when she was going for duty after a vehicle hit her scooter on October 1, 2020, and added that it was a hit-and-run case.
The photos are being shared in the backdrop of an alleged gang rape and murder case of young Dalit woman in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh that has made national headlines.
The photos show a woman dressed in a police uniform lying on the ground and a photo of a Punjab Police id card that identifies her as Constable Nomi.
The viral photos are being shared falsely claiming that she was raped and murdered. The caption reads, "Punjab Police @Nomi (Christian Girl) Rape & Murdered in Amritsar. Sad to hear that Indian Newspaper, Journalist, Social Media are silent on this"
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Viral on Twitter
We found tweets that had shared the same viral photos with the false claim.
(In English: Police constable murdered in Punjab. Is the police also not safe? Answer: Yes, no daughters are safe in the whole of India. In the Corona time, bills are passed overnight, but laws are made overnight, but the daughters are raped every day, why should the government make a strict law for it)
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(In English: Now even police woman are not safe in our country, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra she is also a woman, and does your mouth have a tongue or not. Body of female constable found near Punjab Fatehgarh Churian Road Yard Shangana Place Sangatpura, Now anyone will answer, there your government is there.)
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FACT-CHECK
We searched with the keywords 'Punjab police' 'woman constable' and found news reports on the incident which stated that a woman police constable Nomi had died after a speeding SUV hit her scooter near Sangatpura village, Punjab on October 1, 2020.
The name of the female police constable mentioned in news reports matched with the name on the id card found near the woman in the viral photos which also states that she is a Punjab Police constable.
Nomi was going to attend her duty near Golden Temple in view of the visit of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and a speedy Mahindra Scorpio SUV hit her scooter after which she died on the spot while the accused fled the spot reported The Tribune on October 1, 2020.
The report further stated that the police have launched an investigation to identify the suspects and a case has been registered with the Amritsar Rural Police.
After a postmortem, her body was handed over to the family after which her last rites were performed with official honors reported Dainik Bhaskar on October 1, 2020.
BOOM contacted Amritsar Rural Police who confirmed that the woman in the viral photos is Constable Nomi and the police dismissed the claim that she was raped stating that it was a hit-and-run case.
Deputy Superintendent Of Police (DSP) of Ajnala, Vipan Kumar told BOOM, "No, there has been no rape, it is a case of a hit-and-run, a Scorpio had hit her scooter which caused an accident at around 7.30 am on October 1, 2020. She was going for her duty in the morning and met into a road accident after which she died on the spot"
"The case is under investigation and we have recovered the vehicle, but the driver is still absconding and we are searching for the accused," added Kumar.
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