Authors
An alleged CCTV footage showing a man collapsing after being electrocuted while talking on phone plugged to the charger is being shared on social media platforms as authentic. Newschecker’s has found that the viral video is scripted and dramatised.
The three-minute long video shows a man talking on phone as he enters the frame, plugs it into the charger while he continues to use it. He is then seen sipping a glass of water, while he continues to talk on the phone which is still plugged to the charger, when he suddenly collapses. The subtitles suggest that the man’s phone exploded.
The clip ends with a warning “Again! Don’t use your phone while it is charging.” The time stamp on bottom right corner of the frame suggests that the video was captured on December 13, 2021.
The video is being widely shared on social media platforms including Twitter, and Facebook including several celebrities and police personnel. It has also been uploaded on YouTube.
ACP Ashish Kumar, Delhi Police has also shared the video on his Twitter handle with the caption ‘Don’t use mobile, while charging.’
Newschecker also received the video on our WhatsApp tipline (+91 9999499044) requesting it to be fact checked.
Factcheck/Verification
To verify the veracity of the video, Newschecker conducted a keyword search on Facebook. We came across the same viral video of a man getting electrocuted while talking on phone plugged to the charger on the official Facebook account of badminton player Jwala Gutta. She had posted the video with the disclaimer, “BE CAREFUL OF THIS . Thank you for watching! Please be aware that this page features scripted dramas and parodies as well. These short films are for entertainment & educational purposes only!”
The video, of a man getting electrocuted while talking on phone plugged to the charger, was posted on December 15, 2021, the player seems to have edited the date to February 2, 2020. Gutta has also shared some other videos with the same disclaimer that “These short films are for entertainment & educational purposes only!”
We also came across several scripted videos shared by verified Facebook users with the same caption as used by Gutta.
The scripted video of the man getting electrocuted while talking on phone plugged to the charger, has also been uploaded on a YouTube channel called Music Life Creation. Newschecker had recently debunked a scripted video posted by the same channel as a real incident.
Also read: Scripted Video Showing Soldiers Helping Pregnant Woman Climb Stairs Shared As Authentic
Conclusion
The viral video of a man getting electrocuted while talking on phone plugged to the charger is not authentic and is scripted and dramatised for “entertainment & educational purposes only.”
Result: Misleading Content
Sources
Social media page of Jwala Gutta
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