Neither Is This Woman a Child Lifter, Nor Was She Arrested in Delhi's Bawana

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

As rumours of child lifting cases continue to rise in different parts of the country, another video of a woman, who is sitting inside a bus, is going viral with the claim that she was a 'child lifter', who has been arrested by the police in Delhi's Bawana.

A video of this apparent incident is being widely shared on social media to further this narrative.

However, the claim is not true, and the woman (name withheld to protect her identity) in the video is the child's mother.

The Quint's WebQoof team went on the ground, spoke to the police, the woman's relatives, and visited her house. We found out that the woman, in the video, was accused of being a child lifter by another lady, who also got into a physical altercation with her. A case under Section 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against her.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Devesh Kumar Mahla confirmed that the incident is from 14 September and the woman is not a kidnapper.

We also spoke to one of the relatives of the woman, Mohammed Nirale, who said that the woman had two children, including the one seen in the viral video.

In the past, some unverified rumours have led to people being lynched on the basis of WhatsApp messages.

CLAIM

In the video, the woman can be seen walking with police personnel, with one of the cops carrying the baby in their arms. This video was spun around to claim that the lady was a child lifter.

We also received another video of the incident on our WhatsApp tipline.

The claim is viral on social media. Archives of similar posts can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

WHAT WE FOUND

In one of the longer versions of the video, we noticed the shop sign boards in the background that read "Kamal Bartan Bhandar."

With the help of Google Maps, we were able to verify the that the video was taken in Delhi's Bawana, as the platform's street view feature showed similar shop signs in the area.

COPS RUBBISH 'CHILD LIFTER' CLAIMS, SAY WOMAN IS CHILD'S MOTHER

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Devesh Kumar Mahla told The Quint that after investigating the incident, they were able to confirm the the 'child lifting' claim was a rumour.

"Upon investigating the matter, the police found that the woman in the video is the child's mother. We handed the child to the mother after that. We have taken appropriate action against those spreading these rumours. But since the matter is related to a woman's privacy, we have not made any details of this case public. We request people who come across such rumours to come to the police, and not take the law into their own hands."

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Devesh Kumar Mahla

Another senior police officer told The Quint that when the police got to know about the incident, they immediately reached the location, and after they verified that the child was hers, they dropped the mother and the child home.

The details of the First Information Report (FIR) and the case have not been put in public domain as the case is sensitive in nature, and The Quint is withholding details of the case to respect the family's privacy.

RELATIVES, NEIGHBOURS CONFIRM THAT THE WOMAN IS THE CHILD'S MOTHER

Team WebQoof also visited the woman's residence, and spoke to her family and neighbours, who confirmed to The Quint that the woman was the child's mother.

Speaking to our team, the woman's brother-in-law Mohammed Nirale said that she has two children, and the child in the video is hers. He also emphasised that the claim shared with the video was false.

"I have been living here for 13 years. She is my sister-in-law, she has two children, and the child in the video is hers... The claim is false. The police personnel dropped her and the child back home soon after they investigated the case."

Mohammed Nirale, the woman's brother-in-law

We also spoke to one of her neighbours who told us that they only found out about the incident through YouTube and that the woman was not a child lifter.

Clearly, a false narrative about the woman being a child lifter was woven with the viral video. Team WebQoof visited the Bawana police station, the woman, and her family members, and were able to confirm that the woman is the child's mother.

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