Fact Check: Did EVMs theft happen during 2024 Lok Sabha polls in UP?

Hyderabad: A video of a commotion where people could be seen carrying devices that look like EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) in an open lorry while others try to get onto the vehicle in a rush is being circulated online.

Those sharing the video claim that the video shows people stealing EVMs after polling. A man could be heard in the video saying, “Look at the blatant scam of BJP happening in Pahariya Mandi. An EVM thief was caught by the public. This BJP government is a useless government. Even the CO is here. Two vehicles have been captured, (translated from Hindi)”

An X user shared the video on May 14, 2024, linking it with the ensuing General Elections across the country.

Similar posts can be seen here and here.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that this video has nothing to do with ongoing elections in 2024.

Upon doing a search using keyframes of the video, we found a video news report of the viral clip on the YouTube channel of Oneindia News titled ‘Trucks ‘Steal’ EVM machines in Varanasi’ on March 9, 2022

According to the video report, Akhilesh Yadav, a key opposition leader of Uttar Pradesh from the Samajwadi Party, accused the BJP of stealing EVMs from a counting centre in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and the video is ‘proof’ of that.

However, the report also mentioned a clarification from the Varanasi district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma who said that the EVMs seen in the video are not the ones used for voting.

We also found an NDTV report titled ‘Varanasi Video Has Trucks ‘Stealing’ Voting Machines: Akhilesh Yadav.’ According to this report, the district magistrate said that the EVMs seen in the video were reserved for training purposes and not for actual voting. He assured that the EVMs used in the election were securely sealed and under strict surveillance.

We also found a report on the YouTube channel Mojo Story titled ‘Akhilesh Yadav Alleges EVM Theft, Party Workers Protest After Spotting With EVMs.’ This report had an extended version of the same video circulating on social media platforms.

Additionally, news agency ANI posted Akhilesh Yadav’s allegations and the DM’s clarifications on March 8, 2022, on its official X account.

Additionally, we conducted a keyword search that yielded similar reports from The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire and Hindustan Times on the viral video.

Hence, we conclude that the viral clip is old and not linked to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The claim is misleading.