Fact-check: False claim alleging Mahakumbh Scandal Video case miscreants are from Gujarat goes viral. Here’s the reality.

Maha Kumbh is being organized in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh with much fanfare. During this time, lakhs of devotees are reaching Sangam city. Women, children, old people are all going to Maha Kumbh to take a holy dip. At the same time, some people are not refraining from their activities even during this holy time. Gujarat Police has arrested several individuals for making videos of women bathing at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj and selling them to foreign hackers and who later posted them on the dark web.

Shortly after. an image is making rounds on social media platforms with the claim: ‘All accused in the Mahakumbh scandal are from Ahmedabad, Gujarat’.  The image has been shared by several users with similar claims. The image is being widely shared online.

The following image is been shared on social media, with the text that says “’All accused in the Mahakumbh scandal are from Ahmedabad, Gujarat’.

Moreover, several users shared this claim stating similar facts. The preview link can be seen here.

Fact-Check

The DFRAC team investigated the claim made through the viral image. We found this claim to be misleading.

We conducted a keyword search on Google in this regard that led us to some reports published by ABP Majha, Dainik Bhaskar & Amar Ujala.

According to these reports, two of the three accused namely Prajwal Teli and Praj Patil are from Maharastra’s Latur and Sangli while Chandraprakash Phoolchand, a YouTuber belongs to UP’s Prayagraj.

Conclusion:

It is clear from DFRAC’s fact-check that the viral claim alleging that all accused in the Mahakumbh scandal are from Ahmedabad, Gujarat” is misleading. Instead, two of the three accused hail from Maharashtra while one is from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Analysis: Misleading