Viral Image of Sex Racket Gang Passed off As Child-Lifting Claim

Ratlam SP told The Quint that the men seen in the photo were not arrested for kidnapping child.

A viral image falsely claimed that the men in the image were arrested for abducting children.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

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CLAIM

A viral image circulating on social media claims that a group of 25 men have been arrested in Jaora city, in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district for abducting children. The claim along with the image reads:

‘आपके फोन मे जितने भी सम्पर्क है सभी को सेन्ड करे और सभी ग्रूप मे जरुर करे, ताकि सभी सचेत रहे और किसी का बच्चा इस तरह चोरी न हो | भाईयो mp के रतलाम जिले के जावरा शहर से बच्चे पकङने वाले 25 आदमियो कि गेंग को पकङा गया है’

(Translated: Send this to all your contacts and groups, so that people are aware and nobody’s child is abducted like this. In MP’s Ratlam district’s Jaora city, gang of 25 men who had abducted children, have been arrested)

Several social media users have shared the image on Twitter with the same claim.

The Quint received a query on the claim made about the image via its WhatsApp helpline.

WHAT’S THE TRUTH?

Ratlam Superintendent of Police Gaurav Tiwari told The Quint that the men seen in the photo were not arrested for kidnapping children.

“On 14 July, as many as 15 men, along with 8 women were arrested as they were involved in a sex racket. One of the girls is a minor. Officials of Dhodhar police station in Ratlam’s Jaora tehsil had busted this racket. This photo has got nothing to do with child kidnapping.”

Gaurav Tiwari, SP, Ratlam

We also found an article published by Patrika on 15 July that had the same image. The article mentioned that the police had busted the racket in the redlight area on the Lebadh-Nayagoan four lane road. Out of the 15 men, one is from Kerala, other from West Bengal, some from Indore and Ujjain, among others, added the report.

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