Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
A video of a police woman recovering a gun while frisking a female is going viral on social media, claiming to show a female teacher from Uttar Pradesh. In the video several men can be seen filming the incident on their mobile phones as a woman from the police checks the pockets of the young girl, eventually recovering a a country made pistol, after which the police seem to take the girl away.
The video has been shared on Facebook by the official page of CNN-News 18 on 13th April, 2022 which has over 63 Lakh followers on the platform. The video had garnered 51,000 views along with 21 comments at last count and was shared along with the caption ‘A Teacher in Mainpuri, #UttarPradesh was taken into custody by the police after she was found in possession of a country-made pistol.
Newschecker found similar claims on Twitter with different captions.
Newschecker also found the video was shared by NDTV and TimesNow on their website with the claim that the female is a school teacher.
Also read: No, Viral Image Doesn’t Show First Iftar Party Of Independent India
Fact Check/ Verification
Upon performing a keyword search, Newschecker found a news report by Amar Ujala on 12th April, 2022. According to the report, the young woman, identified as Karishma, was roaming around the jail square in UP’s Mainpuri, carrying a pistol in her pocket. Onlookers informed the police after which the weapon was found and the girl was arrested. The report does not mention the occupation of the young woman.
Upon further investigation, Newschecker found a reply from Mainpuri Police to a Twitter user regarding the incident. According to the police, after investigation it was found that the woman caught with the gun is not a female teacher. The police have filed a complaint against the young woman for carrying the firearm, and an investigation has been initiated to determine where the pistol came from, who made it, and why she was carrying it.
Newschecker then contacted the Superintendent of Police in Mainpuri regarding the information about the incident. SP’s Public Relation Officer told us that “The girl seen in the viral video is neither a Muslim nor a teacher. Her name is Karishma Yadav. On the basis of the information received by the police, the girl was searched and a pistol was recovered from her. The girl has been arrested and sent to jail under the Arms Act.”
Conclusion
According to the investigation conducted by Newschecker, the female caught with a country made pistol in Mainpuri is neither Muslim, nor a school teacher.
Result: Misleading/ Partly False
Our Sources
News report by Amar Ujala
Tweet by Mainpuri Police
Telephonic conversation with Mainpuri Police
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Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
