Does This Video Show A Real Incident of Child Kidnapping? No, It’s Scripted
We found that the video is scripted and does not show a real incident of child kidnapping.
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Social media users are sharing a video of a man kicking and hitting a burqa-clad person, who is holding a child in their arms, cautioning people against kidnappers.
The video had garnered more than 96,000 views at the time publishing.
(More archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.)
Are these claims true?: No, the video is scripted and does not show a real incident of child kidnapping. A longer version carries a disclaimer which mentions that the video is for "entertainment purposes".
What led us to the truth?: A keyword search led us to a longer version of the video uploaded on a personal blog on Facebook named 'Ankur-Ankit Jatuskarn'.
It was posted on 25 February and mentioned Ankur-Ankit Jatuskarn and Ankur Jatuskaran as part of the creation team.
We compared several frames of the video with the viral one and found that both of them show the same incident.
On comparing both images, we found they are from the same incident.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
At around the 0:21 mark, we noticed a disclaimer which mentioned that the video is "a work of fiction" and made for "entertainment purposes".
The video carried a disclaimer.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
Creator makes "prank videos": On checking Ankur Jatuskaran's profile, we found that his bio mentioned that he creates prank videos.
His bio mentioned that the page is "all about my prank videos on my YouTube channel."
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
On checking Jatuskaran's YouTube channel, we found he regularly creates similar videos.
We compared a visual from the viral video and a clip on his channel, which was uploaded on 16 March, and found that both videos show the same person.
We found that both images show the same person.
(Source: YouTube/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
We have reached out to Ankur Jatuskaran for his comments and the story will be updated as and when it is received.
Conclusion: A scripted video is being shared on social media platforms as a real incident of a burqa-clad man kidnapping a child.
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