Authors
An Electronics & Communication engineer by training, Arjun switched to journalism to follow his passion. After completing a diploma in Broadcast Journalism at the India Today Media Institute, he has been debunking mis/disinformation for over three years. His areas of interest are politics and social media. Before joining Newschecker, he was working with the India Today Fact Check team.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Muslim man killed his wife because she was a Hindu
Fact
It is true that the man accused of killing his wife is Muslim but the deceased was also from the same community.
A disturbing video is going viral on social media purportedly showing a Muslim man confessing to his wife’s murder over her religion. The man in the video, is seen responding to a person on camera, supposedly a news reporter, where he is heard saying that he murdered his wife for the ‘honour of Islam’.
As per the claim, the Muslim man married the Hindu woman after ‘making her fall in love with him’ and then killed her a year later. The video is viral on Facebook and Twitter with the caption,” How proudly he is saying that he K!lled his wife just because she was Hindu”.
Fact Check/Verification
On closely observing the viral video, we see the ‘Insaaf 24’ on the mic of the reporter. On searching YouTube, we found a channel named ‘Insaaf 24 News Live’, which uploaded the longer version of the viral video on April 28, 2023. On close observation, it was evident that the viral video was taken from this YouTube video. It is mentioned in the YouTube video that it is from Bihar’s Samastipur.
We also found another video uploaded on May 4 regarding the viral claim. The same reporter can be seen in the video, asking the deceased woman’s father whether they are from the Hindu community as is being widely claimed. The father clarifies that they are Muslims by faith and adds that his deceased daughter’s name was Yasmeen Khatoon. The reporter also identifies the accused as Mehboob Alam.
With the help of some keywords, we found that Dainik Bhaskar also published a report on the case. The report also mentions the woman’s name was Yasmeen Khatoon, who was allegedly killed by her husband Mehboob Alam, in Bangra police station area of Samastipur.
For further verification, we reached out to Awanish Kumar, SHO of Bangra police station in Samastipur. Kumar clarified that Mehboob Alam’s wife was not a Hindu, and both the husband and the deceased wife were Muslims. He also confirmed that the woman’s name was Yasmeen Khatoon, adding that the accused seemed mentally ill. “On asking about the reason for killing, he gave quite weird answers,” the SHO said. However, the Dainik Bhaskar report quotes the girl’s father claiming that the accused was harassing his daughter for dowry.
Also read: 2020 Video Uploaded By Gamer Falsely Linked To Manipur Violence
The accused can be seen giving incoherent answers in the Insaaf 24 Live video as well. On one hand, the accused is heard saying that his wife was living with a doctor, but later, he is heard telling that he killed his wife. The accused also said that he killed his wife for the ‘honour of Islam’.
Conclusion
Hence, it can be concluded that the claim that is being shared with the viral video is false. While it is true the man accused of killing his wife is Muslim, the deceased was also from the same community, and was not ‘killed for being a Hindu’.
Result: False
Our Sources
YouTube videos by Insaaf 24 Live YouTube channel
Report of Dainik Bhaskar, published in March 2023
Telephonic conversation with Bangra SHO Awneesh Kumar
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Authors
An Electronics & Communication engineer by training, Arjun switched to journalism to follow his passion. After completing a diploma in Broadcast Journalism at the India Today Media Institute, he has been debunking mis/disinformation for over three years. His areas of interest are politics and social media. Before joining Newschecker, he was working with the India Today Fact Check team.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
