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Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
As rumours of child lifting cases continue to rise in different parts of the country, another video of a woman, who is sitting inside a bus, is going viral with the claim that she was a 'child lifter', who has been arrested by the police in Delhi's Bawana.
A video of this apparent incident is being widely shared on social media to further this narrative.
The Quint's WebQoof team went on the ground, spoke to the police, the woman's relatives, and visited her house. We found out that the woman, in the video, was accused of being a child lifter by another lady, who also got into a physical altercation with her. A case under Section 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against her.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Devesh Kumar Mahla confirmed that the incident is from 14 September and the woman is not a kidnapper.
We also spoke to one of the relatives of the woman, Mohammed Nirale, who said that the woman had two children, including the one seen in the viral video.
In the past, some unverified rumours have led to people being lynched on the basis of WhatsApp messages.
In the video, the woman can be seen walking with police personnel, with one of the cops carrying the baby in their arms. This video was spun around to claim that the lady was a child lifter.
In one of the longer versions of the video, we noticed the shop sign boards in the background that read "Kamal Bartan Bhandar."
With the help of Google Maps, we were able to verify the that the video was taken in Delhi's Bawana, as the platform's street view feature showed similar shop signs in the area.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Devesh Kumar Mahla told The Quint that after investigating the incident, they were able to confirm the the 'child lifting' claim was a rumour.
Another senior police officer told The Quint that when the police got to know about the incident, they immediately reached the location, and after they verified that the child was hers, they dropped the mother and the child home.
Team WebQoof also visited the woman's residence, and spoke to her family and neighbours, who confirmed to The Quint that the woman was the child's mother.
Speaking to our team, the woman's brother-in-law Mohammed Nirale said that she has two children, and the child in the video is hers. He also emphasised that the claim shared with the video was false.
We also spoke to one of her neighbours who told us that they only found out about the incident through YouTube and that the woman was not a child lifter.
Clearly, a false narrative about the woman being a child lifter was woven with the viral video. Team WebQoof visited the Bawana police station, the woman, and her family members, and were able to confirm that the woman is the child's mother.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
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