Image From Egypt Spread With a False Communal Angle in India

We found out that the man in the viral image was carrying a mannequin and not a dead body.

This photo is being shared as one from India and with false communal claims.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A picture that shows a man on a motorcycle with a 'body' wrapped in what appears to be a cloth bag is being shared on the internet.

What is the claim?: The claim said that Binita, a Hindu girl from Rajasthan, fell in love with a Muslim youth named Muhammad (the biker), a fruitseller. It further said that the girl ran away from home with Muhammad and was later killed.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be found here, here and here). We received a query on our WhatsApp tipline about this claim.

What is the truth?: The claim is being shared with a false communal angle.

• The image is actually from Cairo, Egypt.

• It shows Muhammad Nasr, who works for a transport company, carrying a mannequin on his bike.

How did we find out?: We performed a reverse image search and found a news report on Cairo24 that carried the viral image.

• The headline, when translated from Arabic to English using Google Translate, said, "My life is destroyed.. The first comment from the owner of the corpse photo on the controversial motorcycle."

• The report noted that Muhammad, the biker, was making a mannequin delivery in the Al-Mokattam area in Cairo.

• The image also went viral on social media in Egypt with claims that the biker was travelling with a dead body.

This report was published on 2 June.  

(Source: Cairo24/Screenshot)

• A keyword search in Arabic led us to a different report published on Cairo24.

• It reported on the investigation by the Ministry of Interior that revealed the truth about the biker making a mannequin delivery in the Al-Mokattam area.

Other sources: We also came across a video in an Arabic RT report where the biker described his plight after the picture went viral on the internet.

• The Quint found a post by a shop in Egypt named "BG Collection." The post read that the delivery was being made for BG Collection from Gamal Abder Nasser Branch to Al-Mokattam branch.

• The post was uploaded on 30 May.

• The Rajasthan Police tweeted against the claim and announced it as fake.

Conclusion: The image shows the man carrying a mannequin and not a dead body. It is being falsely linked to Rajasthan and shared with a communal spin.

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