From rampant misinformation surrounding the gruesome rape and murder case of a Kolkata doctor to numerous AI-manipulated videos of politicians and tech CEOs promoting online investment platforms, here are our top fact-checks of the week.
Kolkata RG Kar Horror: Viral claim that a ‘Reclaim The Night’ protester was raped and murdered turns out to be false
A section of social media users claimed that a student of Burdwan University, Ankita Bauri, was brutally raped and murdered on her way home from a ‘Reclaim the Night’ march. Newschecker found no such case of rape and murder of a protester named Ankita Bauri. However, there were two separate cases of gang rape and murder of two young women in Burdwan, which have nothing to do with the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder case.
Viral video of Sundar Pichai endorsing “Google Invest” is a deepfake
A video has surfaced on Facebook in which Google CEO Sundar Pichai is allegedly promoting the investment platform “Google Invest” specifically for the Indian population. Newschecker found that the video is a deepfake and that the tech giant has not announced any such financial platform.
Footage of a woman shooting her daughter’s rapist in court? Clip from 1984 film shared as real
A 22-second video purporting to show a woman entering what appears to be a courtroom before pulling out a gun and firing several shots has gone viral. It purports to show German citizen Marianne Bachmeier shooting the rapist who murdered her 7-year-old daughter in court in 1981. Newschecker found that the clip is from a 1984 German film based on a true incident that occurred in 1981, when Marianne Bachmeier shot Klaus Grabowski, who was on trial for the rape and murder of her seven-year-old daughter Anna.
The viral video with Virat Kohli’s comments on the rape and murder case of a doctor in Kolkata is old and has no connection to this
Several social media users shared a video claiming that it shows Indian cricketer Virat Kohli calling the recent gruesome rape and murder case of a doctor in Kolkata “disturbing and shocking,” adding that he was “ashamed to be part of this society.” Newschecker noted that the video was old and shows Kohli reacting to a horrific incident in Bengaluru where several women were publicly harassed on a street by a mob of men during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Temple in Bangladesh flooded after India opened its dam? Here’s the truth behind the viral image
Several social media users shared a photo purporting to show a temple in Bangladesh during massive floods. Newschecker found that the photo was from West Bengal and was mistakenly shared.
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