Fact Check: 2019 video passed off as recent crocodile sighting in Punjab floods

Hyderabad: A video of a crocodile straying into a flooded residential area is going viral on social media. Users claim that the video is from Kharar in Punjab.

A Twitter handle Jammu Updates shared the video with the caption, “#Crocodile seen in a residential area of #Kharar #Punjab.”

A Facebook account shared the video claiming the same.

The claim comes in the backdrop of the report that 150 rural roads and 10 small bridges have been damaged in floods in Punjab in the past three days according to the Public Works Department (PWD).

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the video is from Gujarat in 2019.

We extracted the keyframes of the video and performed a reverse image search, which led us to an extended version of the video published by NDTV on August 4, 2019, captioned “Chilling Crocodile Rescue From Flooded Street In Gujarat.” Around 10 seconds into the video, the same visual can be seen.

As per the description, the video shows the rescue of crocodiles in Gujarat’s Vadodara after overflowing rivers following heavy rainfall brought crocodiles out on the streets.

Hindustan Times also reported the video on August 4, 2019, in a report titled “Crocodile rescued from Gujarat’s flooded street, chilling video captured.”

The Hindu, India Today and The Times of India also reported the rescue of a crocodile from the flooded residential area of Gujarat’s Vadodara with the same details.

Hence, we conclude that the video of a crocodile straying into a residential area during the floods in Gujarat in 2019 is being falsely shared as a recent incident from Punjab.