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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Crime & justice fact checks

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

6,854 published reviews in this topic

FACTLYCrime & justice

Kids missing from L.B. Nagar, Hyderabad.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a photo of two children circulated as evidence that they were missing from L.B. Nagar, Hyderabad. FACTLY’s investigation concluded that the children in the photo were connected to a missing-person case in Coimbatore, not Hyderabad. It reported that Rachakonda Police said no such case had been reported in L.B. Nagar, while Ramanathapuram Police in Coimbatore confirmed that a case concerning the children and their father had been filed at their station. (S1: “The Rachakonda Police has tweeted that no such missing case was reported in L.B. Nagar. The Ramanathapuram Police in Coimbatore has confirmed that the two kids in the photo and their father are missing from Coimbatore, and a missing case was filed at their station.”) The review describes several checks behind that conclusion. It says Rachakonda Police had posted the same photo and stated that no missing case was registered at L.B. Nagar Police Station. FACTLY also searched for Tamil-language terms meaning “kids missing,” found a Coimbatore local-news report about the case, and contacted Ramanathapuram Police. The station’s sub-inspector confirmed to FACTLY that a case had been filed concerning the two children in the photo. (S1: “When searched on Google with the keywords ‘குழந்தைகளைக் காணவில்லை’ (‘kids missing’ in Tamil), it was found that a local news website in Coimbatore has written an article on this missing case.”; S1: “To confirm the news, FACTLY has contacted the Ramanathapuram Police Station. The Ramanathapuram SI has confirmed that a missing case has been filed at their station regarding the two kids in the photo.”) The review identifies the children as Shasha Laydisa, 9, and Sarah Laydisa, 4, and their father as Ashwin Terry Sam, 37. It says their mother filed the case at Ramanathapuram Police Station in Coimbatore. These details explain why the image could be associated with a real missing-person case while the specific Hyderabad location claim was inaccurate. (S1: “a missing case regarding the two kids (Shasha Laydisa (9) and Sarah Laydisa (4)) and their father (Ashwin Terry Sam (37)) was filed by the kids’ mother at Ramanathapuram Police Station (Coimbatore).”)

FACTLYCrime & justice

Two men were beaten by the Police personnel for not wearing a helmet

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a video showing two young men being beaten by police and says they were assaulted for not wearing helmets. FACTLY’s review identifies a different reason for the beating: it says the men were beaten by Kodagu Police in connection with an eve-teasing complaint at a college. The review reports that the college Principal complained about the men’s misbehaviour with a girl on the college premises. The review describes how it checked the video: it used the InVid plugin to obtain keyframes, then subjected those images to reverse-image searches. A keyframe led to a Daiji World article dated 23 June 2019, which the review says reported the complaint from the college Principal. FACTLY also points to the same video in a My Nation article and says a Deccan Herald report corroborates that account. On the evidence described in the review, the video does show police beating the two men, but the helmet explanation is not supported: the reported reason was the eve-teasing case. The review therefore labels the helmet claim false.

FactCrescendoCrime & justice

The youngster seen in this video is a thief who kidnaps children from Udham Singh Nagar district old Galla Mandi, Uttarakhand”

Publisher’s rating: False

The claim concerned a video circulated with a warning that a young man had been caught as a child thief in Galla Mandi, Kichha, Uttarakhand. The review reports that it traced the post to a Facebook user named “BOLTAKICHHA,” who shared it on 27 August 2019 with a description saying the alleged thief had been handed to police. The review identifies the setting and allegation as matching the claim under examination. [S1] To check the video’s provenance, the review says it searched Google for “child kidnapper caught in Galla Mandi Kichha.” It found an ETV Bharat report published on 27 August 2019 that described a mentally challenged young man beaten by a crowd in Udham Singh Nagar district. The review says that report included a video exactly similar to the one circulating in the post. It also notes other reporting about the incident, including that two young men who beat him were in police custody. [S1] The review’s account identifies the man as Munne, the son of local resident Shakir, and says people in old Galla Mandi Kichha beat him after mistaking him for a child kidnapper. Thus, the reported incident was an assault arising from that mistaken identification—not evidence that the man was a child thief or kidnapper. The review concludes that the post’s accusation was unsupported by the incident it traced. [S1]

NewtralCrime & justice

Vídeo de cuatro jóvenes destrozando un supermercado en EU

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The review examined a video circulated on Facebook showing several young people knocking products from supermarket shelves. The post paired it with the phrase “Los nuevos europeos vienen a trabajar,” implying that the scene took place in Europe. The review’s central finding was that the footage was recorded in the United States, not in a European country. To assess the location, the review compared the clip with other videos showing the same group. It reported that a Walmart logo was visible in another video and noted that the group’s members appeared in the titles of three YouTube videos. The review also said that Instagram profiles for two group members identified them as living in Missouri, and that products visible in the footage included U.S. brands Bounty and C&H. The review acknowledged a possible source of confusion: Walmart had one store in Europe, in the United Kingdom. It said, however, that the group members’ profiles and the products visible in the video pointed to the United States. It also reported that AFP Factuel had published the video on YouTube on July 8 of that year and said it was recorded in the United States.

NewtralCrime & justice

Informe de la DGT que alerta de una pandilla que te echará de la carretera si les das las luces

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim describes a supposed DGT warning not to flash drivers whose cars have their lights off, on the grounds that they might be taking part in a gang initiation. In the story, the driver who flashes the lights is allegedly chased off the road and killed. The review says the warning and the alleged gang or attacks are false: “El informe es totalmente falso, así como la existencia de este tipo de pandillas o situaciones.” The review reports that both the DGT and Guardia Civil had publicly denied the warning. It also points to the Guardia Civil’s social-media post calling the message a hoax, and says the story had circulated in other countries. These are the review’s stated grounds for rejecting the warning; the excerpt does not describe a separate examination of an underlying DGT report. For context, the review attributes the tale to a much older urban legend rather than to a new official alert. It says Snopes traced written references to 1993 and described an earlier version circulating from the beginning of the 1980s, then linked the story to a 1998 film. The review also notes the Policía Nacional’s advice not to believe or spread such messages unless they come from official channels.

FACTLYCrime & justice

Cruelty of police in Kashmir.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a social-media video said to show police cruelty in Kashmir. FACTLY’s review concludes that the video instead depicts an incident in Lahore, Pakistan, and says the people in uniform are Pakistan Police, not Indian police. That location finding directly undermines the claim’s identification of the video as footage from Kashmir. The review describes several clues used to locate the incident. It reports that a caption visible in the video at 24 seconds reads, “Zulfiqar Butt from Manga Mundi being arrested,” and that the place name Manga Mandi was found to be in Lahore. It also says the police uniforms and protective gear in the footage matched those of Lahore police. The review notes that it found no relevant news about the incident from the available information, so its account does not establish further details about why the arrest occurred or what preceded it. As another location clue, FACTLY says a “Hawk” logo appears in the background at 26 seconds and that a search identified it as belonging to a school, college uniform and bag business with shops in Lahore. Taken together, the caption, police clothing and background sign support the review’s conclusion that the footage is from Lahore rather than Kashmir. The excerpt does not describe independent confirmation of the arrest or provide evidence about the conduct shown beyond the claim that the video depicts police cruelty.