An image circulating widely on social media shows a man with explosives strapped to his body, claiming he was arrested in India as part of a major counter-terrorism operation. An Instagram user shared the image, alleging that 16 individuals were arrested during raids conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi’s Seelampur and Amroha, Uttar Pradesh. The post goes on to describe a dramatic haul of weapons and materials, including rocket launchers, explosives, SIM cards, and cash, implying a major terror plot was foiled.
Fact Check
However, this claim is misleading.
Upon conducting a reverse image search, we traced the photo back to a Facebook post from 2013, which described the individual as a failed Taliban suicide bomber. The post noted that a full-body search revealed a protective metal shield around his genital area.
Digging deeper using relevant keywords, we found an earlier report by Hazara International, published on 8 November 2010, featuring the same image. The translated Persian headline reads: “A suicide bomber was arrested in Farah/Photo.” The report states that Afghan security forces in Farah province arrested the individual in Yazdi village, about 6 km from Farah city. According to the report, the man was sent by the Taliban to carry out a suicide attack targeting high-ranking government officials. Authorities recovered an explosive belt from him, and he reportedly confessed during initial investigations.
Conclusion:
The viral image does not originate from India and is unrelated to any recent NIA operation. It dates back to 2010 in Afghanistan, where a Taliban-linked suicide bomber was apprehended. Sharing it in the context of current Indian security operations is false and misleading.
