Unrelated video shared as YSRCP leader attempting to murder his aunt

(Trigger Warning: This story contains mentions of assault. Reader discretion is advised.)

What is the claim?

A video lasting 1 minute and 27 seconds is circulating on X (formerly known as Twitter), purporting to show Yaganti Satti Reddy, a spokesperson for the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in Guntakal, Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, attempting to murder his childless aunt to steal her jewelry after losing money in cricket betting. The footage depicts a man trying to strangle an older woman as she fights to break free. Links to archived versions of these posts can be accessed here and here.

Screenshot of the viral social media post. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, an unrelated video has been falsely linked to the YSRCP spokesperson.

What did we find?

We looked for news reports about a YSRCP leader named Yaganti Satti Reddy attacking his aunt, but there were no such results. We also looked for a YSRCP leader from Guntakal with that name but found no such leader affiliated with YSRCP.

Subsequent analysis of the video's keyframes through reverse image search led to various news reports about the incident. ETV Andhra Pradesh, a Telugu news channel, covered the story on January 29, 2024, including the video in their report. According to this coverage, the incident occurred on January 26, 2024, involving a cable operator named Govind, who attacked an older woman, Narayanamma, while she was alone at home. 

The attack took place in the Anakapalli district of Andhra Pradesh. The assailant attempted to steal the gold jewelry the woman was wearing by strangling her with a towel. Once she lost consciousness, he fled with the jewelry. Narayanamma was later hospitalized and has since recovered.

This video, identified as CCTV footage in the report, also displays the date and time of the incident. The report also noted that the accused surrendered to the police subsequently.

Reports in various other newspapers like Eenadu and Andhrajyothy corroborate these details. 

Logically Facts also contacted the Anakapalli Town police station, where the case was registered. G. Sankaraiah, the Circle Inspector at the station, confirmed the incident's location in Anakapalli and clarified that the accused has no ties to YSRCP. He verified the media-reported details, stating that the case is currently under investigation and the accused has surrendered to the authorities.

The verdict

An unrelated video depicting a robbery and attempted murder has been misrepresented as showing a YSRCP leader attempting to murder his aunt. Based on the findings, we have marked this claim as false.