Fake news: Video of raid on Karnataka minister turns out to be an old one from Delhi

india

Updated: Aug 06, 2017 07:35 IST

A video clip claiming to contain visuals of income tax raids on a Karnataka minister has turned out to be fake, highlighting once again the challenge traditional and social media outlets are facing in the age of manufactured news and misinformation.

The video shared on Twitter by the handle @DurgaMenon is “that of an Income Tax raid on T&T law firm in Delhi founded by Rohit Tandon”, AltNews pointed out in a report.

The income tax department raided on Wednesday 64 places in Delhi and Karnataka linked to energy minister DK Shivakumar, investigating the politician’s alleged tax evasion and dodgy investments in real estate.

Shivakumar was hosting a group of Congress legislators from Gujarat to avoid a break in their ranks ahead of a close Rajya Sabha election.

The video that was shared with the caption, “DK Shivkumar’s home with just one Locker room opened..Congis whr will u hide ur faces??? @INCIndia @OfficeOfRG”, has been retweeted 377 times.

@DurgaMenon’s Twitter account is followed by PM Narendra Modi and power minister Piyush Goyal, among other BJP leaders.

DK Shivkumar's home with just one Locker room opened..Congis whr will u hide ur faces??? @INCIndia @OfficeOfRG pic.twitter.com/3NfqddBYzh — Sunshine girl (@DurgaMenon) August 4, 2017

The video has also been shared on a public Facebook group called ‘B S Y supporters in facebook’ by user Praveen Poojary Pavi with the text, ‘Dharamalakshmi was seen when DK Singh’s secret locker was opened. Siddaramaiah is saying .. He is free karnataka and ya hungry now .. when watching DK’.

The 40-second video that @DurgaMenon claims to have received on WhatsApp is in fact about a Delhi Police operation against T&T law firm in Greater Kailash.

Tweets about the 2016 raid that seized over Rs 8 crore was posted by correspondents who covered the news.

The cash allegedly recovered from T&T law firm in Delhi's GK. Around Rs 2 cr in new notes. Total over Rs 8cr. @the_hindu @abaruah64 pic.twitter.com/s7j8wQu5sm — Shiv Sunny (@shivsunny) December 10, 2016

Video of over Rs 8 cr cash (Rs 2 cr in new currency) seized by Delhi Police from T&T law firm in Delhi's GK. @the_hindu @abaruah64 pic.twitter.com/qXlQ7Ixg3y — Shiv Sunny (@shivsunny) December 10, 2016

The social media, of late, has been grappling with the challenge of fake news --- and some them have trickled into traditional media outlets --- leading to the spread of disinformation and confusion.

During communal riots in Baduria in West Bengal in July, a Facebook post portraying Hindu women being molested during large-scale violence cropped up. But later it was confirmed that the photograph was a scene from a 2014 Bhojpuri movie.

Read | False News incident: Shamli man rapped by police for spreading rumour on Twitter

The challenge is: by the time websites debunk fake news, it would already reach thousands of people in the wake of increase in digital platforms and the proliferation of smartphones .

Meet fake news warriors, the people who debunk fake news, one post at a time.