From claims around terrorist Masood Azhar to singer Dua Lipa and her recent vacation in India and Ayodhya's Ram Temple, here are the top five pieces of misinformation that went viral this week.
1. Old Clip of Blast Falsely Linked To Unverified Claims of Masood Azhar’s Death
A viral video showing a blast occurring in a busy street, with users claiming that it portrays an explosion resulting in the death of Masood Azhar, the leader of the terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed, in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
Several media organisations also shared this post.
Although there is no official confirmation of Azhar's death, the video in question is not recent.
It was recorded on 3 November 2023 during an explosion at Tank Adda in Dera Ismail Khan, located in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.
Read our fact-check here
2. Edited Post Shared to Claim That Dua Lipa Was Harassed in Rajasthan's Jodhpur
A set of two images showing English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa is being shared on social media to claim that some men in Jodhpur, Rajasthan allegedly harassed her.
However, the viral post has been edited. The original post shows the same images of Lipa with a text stating that locals in Jodhpur did not recognise Lipa.
The singer's management confirmed to The Quint that such an incident of sexual harassment did not occur during their visit to Rajasthan, India.
Read our story here.
3. No, BHEL Tiruchirappalli Did Not Make These Bells for Ayodhya’s Ram Temple
A video showing a truck carrying huge temple bells is being shared to claim that they were manufactured by the government nuclear power company Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL) in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.
The claim also states that these bells were specifically made for the Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.
No, this claim is false.
Andal Moulding Works have manufactured the bells in the video in the Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu.
An artisan of the company confirmed to The Quint that these bells
were requested to be made by a devotee for Ayodhya's Ram temple.
Read the full fact-check here.
4. PM Modi Launching ‘Free Recharge Yojana’ for 2024 Polls? No, It’s a Hoax
The message circulating on social media has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is offering a free recharge of Rs 239 to incentivise support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
However, we did not find any evidence to prove that PM Modi has made any such announcement.
Furthermore, the message contains a URL to a hoax website that posts articles and attempts to gather user information, such as their phone numbers.
Read our fact-check here.
5. Scripted Video Passed Off as People Extorting Money During Christmas in Kerala
A video showing a man being pulled out of his car and assaulted by multiple individuals in Kerala is being shared on social media platforms.
In the clip, the attackers reportedly demanded money from the man under the guise of Christmas donations.
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