Skip to main content

PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Crime & justice fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about crime & justice. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

6,853 published reviews in this topic

FACTLYCrime & justice

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath made a statement in support of Hathras rape accused and Thakur community

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a screenshot attributed to an Aaj Tak broadcast, in which Yogi Adityanath allegedly said that Thakurs have “hot blood” and make mistakes. The review says the screenshot was shared as evidence that he was supporting the accused in the Hathras rape case and the Thakur community. Its conclusion is that the screenshot was altered, not an authentic record of his remarks. To check it, the review says it located the original Aaj Tak footage, which it identifies as having been telecast on 2 October 2020, through a video posted by Aaj Tak on Twitter. It reports that the original clip contains no statement by Adityanath supporting the Hathras accused or the Thakur community. The review points readers to the original clip at 0:56 and says the screenshot’s text and background differ from Aaj Tak’s regular broadcast. The review also describes an Aaj Tak fact-check as identifying the screenshot as a morphed version of the 2 October footage. Taken together, the comparison with the original broadcast and the reported corroboration from Aaj Tak’s fact-check support the review’s conclusion that the circulated image does not establish that Adityanath made the attributed statement.

FACTLYCrime & justice

Felicitation video of Hathras rape victim

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a social-media video presented as showing the Hathras rape victim being felicitated for topping her studies. FACTLY reports that the video instead shows an associate of Safe Shop India being celebrated by company staff; the review says the footage “has nothing to do with the Uttar Pradesh Hathras rape victim.” To investigate, FACTLY says it used reverse image search and found similar visuals in a YouTube video titled “Mrs. Naziya Mam Diamond Lady Safe Shop India.” It also found another video identifying the woman as Naziya Begum of Safe Shop India, and a video on the company’s official Facebook page in which the same woman describes her success story as an associate. On that basis, the review concludes that the company associate’s video was falsely presented as footage of the Hathras victim.

FACTLYCrime & justice

Uttar Pradesh CM, Yogi Adityanath is watching the live telecast of the cremation of Hathras rape victim

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a specific image shared online as showing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath watching a live telecast of the Hathras victim’s cremation. The review says the image was altered: its comparison with a similar news image showed Adityanath speaking to the victim’s family, rather than watching a cremation. The claimed scene was created by changing what appeared on the laptop screen. [S1]

FACTLYCrime & justice

Lt.Gen.Taranjit Singh has been arrested on charges of sedition

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a social-media post saying that Indian Army Lt.Gen. Taranjit Singh had been arrested on charges of sedition. FACTLY reports that the Indian Army rejected the arrest claim in a press statement dated 01 October 2020, describing the circulating news as a state-sponsored malicious disinformation campaign by Pakistan. The review also says the Army rejected the news in a tweet and urged people not to believe the misinformation. FACTLY describes checking the claim by searching for Taranjit Singh’s name and locating the Army’s 01 October press statement. It also points to a press meet that Singh addressed on that date. The review says the press meet concerned the Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs and the Chief of Defence Staff working in close cooperation with the three service headquarters; it presents this appearance as further evidence against the claim that he had been arrested. On the evidence described in the review, the Army’s direct rejection of the arrest report and Singh’s appearance at the press meet contradict the social-media claim. The excerpt does not provide the full press statement or tweet, so the summary is limited to FACTLY’s account of those materials.

FACTLYCrime & justice

The photo shows the half-burnt body of a woman who was raped and burnt alive in Rajasthan

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

FACTLY examined a social-media photo presented as the half-burnt body of a woman who was raped and burnt alive in Rajasthan, and also noted that the image was being circulated in connection with incidents in Uttar Pradesh. Its investigation identified the photo instead with a woman’s murder in Gandhwani, Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh. The review says the woman was allegedly killed by Govind and Sohan over a dispute—not in the Rajasthan incident described in the post. To trace the image, FACTLY used Google Reverse Image Search. It found similar photos shared with claims that a woman’s body had been found burnt in Gandhwani. Searching relevant terms then led to an Asianet News–Hindi video with similar visuals; its description placed the incident in Gandhwani. These steps connect the circulated image to the Madhya Pradesh case rather than relying only on the post’s caption. The review also checked reporting about the murder and the incident’s FIR. It says the news articles it found did not mention rape, and that the FIR listed IPC sections 302, 201 and 34 without mentioning rape. Those details support the conclusion that the image was miscaptioned as depicting a rape and burning in Rajasthan. FACTLY adds that it could not find details or news reports for the Rajasthan incident described in the post; that absence is reported as part of its investigation, while the image’s alternative identification rests on the reverse-image search, matching video and case records.

FACTLYCrime & justice

CCTV video of a man abducting a woman in Uttar Pradesh

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a CCTV video showing a man abducting a woman, which was shared as footage of an incident in Uttar Pradesh. FACTLY’s review says the incident shown actually took place in Kolar, Karnataka, so the video does not support the claimed Uttar Pradesh location. The review’s account directly addresses the location attributed to this particular video: “The abduction incident in the video took place in Kolar (Karnataka).” [S1]

FACTLYCrime & justice

Photos of a Punjab policewoman who was raped and murdered in Amritsar

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The post paired photos of a policewoman with an ID naming her as Nomi, daughter of Salim Masih, and claimed she had been raped and murdered in Amritsar. The review’s investigation instead identifies Nomi as the woman in the photos and reports that she died in a road accident in Jhander, Punjab. It says a Scorpio struck her while she was riding her Activa, rather than her being raped and murdered. To check the claim, the review says it searched for information about the policewoman named in the post and found news articles reporting the road accident. It also examined the FIR filed about the incident. According to the review, the FIR mentions IPC sections 304-A and 427 and contains no mention of rape; it further says the FIR lists the vehicle numbers of Nomi’s Activa and the Scorpio that hit it. These details address both the identity in the post and the asserted cause and circumstances of death: the reported incident was a traffic collision, and the review found no rape allegation in the FIR. The review therefore concludes that the claim attached to the photos is false.