Video of boys tampering with railway track in Pakistan falsely linked to India

What’s the claim?

A video circulating widely on social media shows three boys attempting to unbolt a railway track, with claims suggesting the incident occurred in India. Several users tagged the Indian Ministry of Railways, urging Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to take action.

Suresh Chavhanke, the editor-in-chief of Sudarshan News—a media network known for spreading misinformation—shared the video on X (formerly Twitter). His caption in Hindi translates to: "At this young age, they are already digging up railway tracks. Imagine what they will do in the next 50 years. The government should heed Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s warnings about them. Merely chanting their names will achieve nothing. @AshwiniVaishnaw Sir, as soon as such activities are spotted, instruct @RPF_INDIA to shoot. Only then will some fear be instilled." He also urged authorities to investigate the incident's location and timing. An archived version of the post can be viewed here.

Manish Kashyap, a YouTuber from Bihar previously arrested for spreading misinformation, also shared the video, claiming it was from India. He targeted Indian Muslims based on the boys' attire and called on the Indian Railway Ministry to address issues in Muslim communities near railway tracks. An archived version of the post can be found here.

Screenshot of claims made online. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, contrary to the claims, the video is from Pakistan, not India.

What we found

Logically Facts conducted a reverse image search and found that the video was initially shared by the Facebook account "Pakistani Trains” (archived here) on December 5, 2023. The post stated that the incident occurred at the Sartaj Khan Phatak railway line near Boat Basin Police Station in Karachi, Pakistan. The account urged local authorities to take action.

Further investigation revealed multiple posts on X (archived here and here) from December 2023 confirming the video's location in Karachi, Pakistan. Additionally, a YouTube video from December 6, 2023, shows an image of the three boys and includes commentary from the Media Cell DIG South Karachi Police. The video, archived here, details police action following the video's viral spread. The official account of the Deputy Inspector General of South Zone Police in Karachi, Pakistan, confirmed this information.

The video, titled "Police Action Against Video Viral on Social Media of Theft of Track Nutbolts from Railway Line Boat Basin," shows an incident of track bolt theft near the Sartaj Khan Phatak railway line in Karachi. Following orders from the DIG South, the SHO of Boat Basin Police Station detained the juveniles involved. They were later released to their parents after being warned to supervise their activities more closely.

In the video, a police officer questions the three boys, one of whom admits to stealing nuts and bolts from the railway track at Shereen Jinnah Colony. The officer also cautions a parent to better monitor their children to prevent similar incidents.

Screenshot of YouTube video by the Karachi Police. (Source: YouTube)

Upon closely examining the Karachi Police's YouTube video, a clear inscription on the wall behind the tracks becomes visible at the 7-second mark. The phone number displayed includes the dialing code "0301," associated with Pakistan's cellular provider, Mobilink, further confirming the video’s origin in Pakistan.

Screenshot of the wall which displayed the number. (Source: YouTube/Media Cell DIG South Karachi Police)

The verdict

The viral video showing three boys tampering with a railway track is inaccurately attributed to India. Evidence shows it is from Karachi, Pakistan.