Fact Check: Christian girl kidnapped in Pakistan over faith conversion? No, here’s the truth

(Warning: The article contains visuals of violence against women. Viewer discretion is advised)

Hyderabad: A video claiming to show a 17-year-old Christian girl being kidnapped in Pakistan for refusing to convert to Islam is going viral on social media.

The video shows a group of men assaulting and dragging a woman, forcing her into a car, as a crowd of onlookers gathers around. During the scuffle, one of the men fires a gun into the air multiple times. The woman later manages to escape and runs away from the vehicle.

The video was shared on X with the caption, “A 17-year-old Christian girl, Hannah, was publicly kidnapped by radical Islamists in Pakistan for refusing to convert to Islam and marry a 46-year-old Maulana’s son. Social groups raising their voice are now being threatened by police and Islamist outfits.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the viral claim is false. The video shows armed men trying to kidnap a transgender woman in Vehari, Pakistan, on April 23.

Viral video origin

Using reverse image search, we found the same footage shared on Facebook on April 23. The caption of the video says “Vehari...Attempt to kidnap a transgender person within the limits of Danewal police station. Aerial firing by criminals spread panic among the citizens. In the presence of hundreds of citizens, the accused escaped by firing in the air.” (Translated from Urdu) (Archive)

Danewal Police Station is in Vehari, a city and the headquarters of Vehari District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Facebook posts sharing the viral video with the same information can be found here and here. (Archive 1 and Archive 2)

Another Facebook user shared images of the police complaint filed by the victim, along with screenshots from the viral video. The post also includes images showing the woman with cuts on her face. (Archive)

Identity of the victim

In the police complaint, the victim mentions her name as Shahzadi alias Ramzan. She identified herself as a transgender person. The police complaint also states that the incident took place on April 23 near the Danewal Police Station area.

Three accused arrested

Pakistan news outlets, The Express Tribune and The Nation, have published reports about the incident. According to the reports, Rana Phool and Rana Moon, along with their friends, tried to kidnap a transgender woman after she resisted their advances. After a complaint was registered, the police traced and arrested three of the accused.

Therefore, it is clear that the viral video shows armed men attempting to kidnap a transgender woman who resisted their advances. The incident took place on April 23 in Vehari, Pakistan.

NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false. The video does not show a minor Christian girl being kidnapped in Pakistan for refusing to convert to Islam.