A video is going viral on social media in which two female students can be seen beating a man wearing a saffron scarf around his neck. Users sharing the video claim that a youth named Abdul was attempting to snatch the students’ mobile phone, but the students showed courage and not only caught him but also beat him up.
Ocean Jain, while sharing this video, wrote, “Abdul, wearing saffron clothes, tried to snatch a schoolgirl’s mobile phone. The students showed courage, resisted him, and fought back bravely. Then the girls slapped him repeatedly.” Ocean Jain frequently shares fake and misleading information on social media. DFRAC’s team has fact-checked several fake and misleading claims shared by Ocean Jain, which can be read here.
Similarly, a user named SP Sharma shared the video with a communal claim, describing the incident as one involving harassment of female students. The user wrote in the caption, “Allah, Muhammad, Islam, Quran, Muslims’ reality (except my Abdul for upper-caste/Brahmin girls)… wearing a saffron scarf, harassing [them]… No upper-caste person has the courage to take action, speak up, or even stand against this. Stay silent, look away, and wait for it to happen to your own sister or daughter.”
Several other users have also shared the video claiming that Abdul or a Muslim man was involved in the incident of attempting to snatch mobile phones from the female students. These posts can be seen here, here, here, here, and here.
Fact check:
DFRAC’s investigation found that the claim is misleading. The accused is not Abdul. He has been identified as Manpreet Singh, a resident of Jalandhar, Punjab. The incident took place in the Paddav police station area of Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. DFRAC’s team also contacted Paddav Police Station in-charge Shailendra Bhargava regarding the incident. He told us that the accused is not Muslim. According to him, the accused is Manpreet Singh, son of Jaspal Singh Kaur, a resident of Jalandhar, Punjab.
Our team converted the viral video into keyframes and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. We found several media reports about the incident, including reports by AajTak, ETV Bharat and Dainik Bhaskar. An Aaj Tak report states that two twin sisters in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, demonstrated remarkable courage in confronting a crime. After a mobile snatching incident at Phoolbagh Square, the sisters chased the accused on their scooter at a speed of around 80 km/h. They cornered him at the intersection, hit his bike with their scooter, and caught him after he fell to the ground. They then beat him with kicks and slaps in the middle of the road. The accused was identified as Manpreet, a native of Jalandhar, Punjab, who had come to Gwalior for work.
An ETV Bharat report mentions that an attempted robbery in the Paddav police station area was foiled due to the alertness and courage of the victim sisters. After the accused snatched a mobile phone and fled on a motorcycle, the sisters chased and caught him. They then confronted and beat the snatcher before handing him over to the police. The police also honoured the two sisters for their bravery. The report, quoting Station House Officer Shailendra Bhargava, states, “The accused has been taken into custody by the police. His name is Manpreet. He is originally from Punjab. He was living in Gwalior and working as a food delivery worker.” Dainik Bhaskar’s report also identifies the accused as Manpreet.
Our team again contacted Paddav Police Station in-charge Shailendra Bhargava regarding the incident. He confirmed that the accused is not Muslim and identified him as Manpreet Singh, son of Jaspal Singh Kaur, a resident of Jalandhar, Punjab.
Conclusion:
DFRAC’s fact-check establishes that the claim circulating on social media is misleading. The person accused of snatching the mobile phone from the female students is not Abdul. He has been identified as Manpreet Singh, a resident of Jalandhar, Punjab. Paddav Police also confirmed to DFRAC that the viral communal claim is false.
| Claim Review | In Madhya Pradesh, a saffron-clad Abdul tried to snatch mobile phones from female students. |
| Claimed By | X User– ocean jain, SP Sharma and Others |
| Fact Check | Misleading |
Sources:
- News Coverage of Dainik Bhaskar on August 9th, 2026
- News Coverage of ETV Bharat on August 9th, 2026
- News Coverage of Aaj Tak on August 10th, 2026
- Padav Police Station In-Charge Statement to DFRAC
