Fact Check: Hindu man saves girl from Muslim kidnapper? No, rescuer identified as Ahmed
A video has been circulating on social media, claiming that it shows a Hindu man named Harshvardhan attempting to save a girl from abduction.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows a Hindu man named Harshvardhan attempting to save a girl from abduction.
Fact:The claim is false. The video is from Sri Lanka, and the rescuer was identified as Mohammad Izadeen Arshad Ahmed, who was commended by the police for his courageous act.
Hyderabad: A video circulating on social media shows a man dragging a schoolgirl into a black van while another man runs to intervene and save her. As the van begins to move, the rescuer’s upper body becomes trapped inside the vehicle.
Those sharing the video claim that two Muslim men are attempting to abduct the girl while a Hindu man tries to protect her.
An X user shared the video with the caption, “He is a real hero. Afroz and Imran were kidnapping a girl named Ayesha. A boy named Harshvardhan was passing by. To save her, he risked his life and saved the girl whom he did not even know. This is the eternal Hindu tradition. Harshvardhan is injured but out of danger. Salute.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is from Sri Lanka, and the rescuer’s name is Mohammad Izadeen Arshad Ahmed, not Harshvardhan as claimed by those sharing the video.
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframe led us to the same footage shared by the X handle of Sri Lankan news agency NewsWire on January 12.
The post stated that a 19-year-old schoolgirl was abducted in Daulagala, Kandy, Sri Lanka, on January 11 while travelling to a private class. The suspect was identified as the victim’s cousin.
Using the hint, we ran a keyword search and found the incident reported by Asian Mirror on January 13.
According to the report, police rescued the girl and arrested the suspect aboard a luxury bus near Ampara Bus Stand on January 13. The suspect was identified as the girl’s cousin, the son of her father’s sister.
According to preliminary investigations, the abduction resulted from a family dispute over a proposed marriage between the two, which the girl’s father had initially approved but later rejected.
What was the identity of the man who tried to rescue the girl?
Another report by Asian Mirror, dated January 13, identified the rescuer as Mohammad Izadeen Arshad Ahmed, a 25-year-old electrician.
According to the report, Ahmed bravely attempted to stop the van by clinging to its door, but as the vehicle accelerated, someone inside pushed him out, causing him to fall and sustain minor injuries. The report also noted that Sri Lankan police commended Ahmed for his courageous intervention.
The report also features an image of Ahmed with a bandage on his face.
On January 13, NewsWire also shared an image of Ahmed, reporting that Sri Lankan Police had praised 25-year-old Mohammad Izadeen Arshad Ahmed for his courageous attempt to rescue a schoolgirl from an abduction in Davulagala.
Therefore, we conclude that the video is from Sri Lanka and the claim that the video shows a Hindu man named Harshvardhan attempting to save a girl from abduction is false.
