Fact Check: Muslim boy caught luring Hindu girl in Uttarakhand? No, there is no communal angle
A viral video claims that in Uttarakhand, a Muslim boy was caught while luring a Hindu girl into his room for assaulting her.
By Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows a Muslim boy caught by a Hindu man. The youth had lured a Hindu girl into his room to assault her.
Fact:The claim is misleading. The accusedās name is Arjun Kumar, and the Uttarakhand police have urged people not to fall for rumours.
Hyderabad: A video circulating on social media shows a man wielding a baton restraining a boy, with the claim that a Muslim youth was caught while attempting to lure a minor Hindu girl into his room in Uttarakhandās Chamoli district.
An X user shared the video with the caption, āThis Muslim boy was luring a minor Hindu girl into his room. He was luring the girls into his net by talking sweetly. Now the local Hindus caught him, and the rest of his treatment was done properly behind closed doors. District Chamoli, village Karnprayag. Nori goun.ā (Archive)
The man in the video said the youth was caught luring a 12-year-old girl with chocolates while she was going to school. He was caught after the girl went missing from school. However, he does not mention the name or the religion of the culprit.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The accused does not belong to the Muslim community.
We conducted a keyword search and found the incident reported by local portals, including Himalay ki Aawaz and Devbhoomi Khabar, on August 8.
According to these reports, on the same day in Karnaprayag, Chamoli district, police arrested 21-year-old Arjun Kumar after he was found with a minor girl in an objectionable state beneath Bhairav Mandir in Kolsu.
The girl, who had gone missing on her way to school, later alleged that Kumar had lured and intimidated her before molesting her. An FIR was registered under relevant sections of the BNS and the POCSO Act, and a dedicated police team promptly made the arrest.
We also found this information in a Facebook post by Chamoli police dated August 8.
The post stated that on the same day, a minor girl from Karnaprayag, Chamoli, went missing on her way to school and was later found with 21-year-old Arjun Kumar, son of Bijendra Lal, in an objectionable state beneath Bhairav Mandir in Kolsu.
The girl alleged that Kumar had lured and threatened her before molesting her. An FIR was registered under relevant sections of the BNS and the POCSO Act, and police swiftly arrested the accused.
On August 13, the official X handles of the Uttarakhand Police and Chamoli Police shared a screengrab from the viral video, urging people not to fall for rumours.
The posts identified the accused as 21-year-old Arjun, who was arrested under relevant sections of the POCSO Act and the BNS at Karnaprayag Police Station and later sent to jail. They clarified that the viral video pertains to this incident. The Chamoli Police post also advised maintaining communication with children and remaining vigilant.
An officer from the Karnaprayag police station confirmed to NewsMeter that the information shared by the official police X handles is accurate and that there is no communal angle to the incident.
Hence, we conclude that the claim is misleading. It does not show a Muslim man caught while luring a Hindu girl.
