Video from Bangladesh misrepresented as 'Indian Army personnel stopping theft'

What is the claim?

A video circulating on social media claims to show Indian Army personnel intervening to stop a theft in broad daylight. The clip depicts two men attempting to break into a shop with axes. An army vehicle arrives, and soldiers draw their guns, causing the men to kneel and hold their ears, a gesture often associated with punishment.

Several social media users have shared this video, asserting that the Indian army thwarted a theft. One user on X (formerly Twitter) stated, “We are proud of the Indian army. Two people came here with the intention of stealing and started vandalizing. But then the Indian Army was passing by and you can see what happened after that in the video. What do you think, if there were policemen instead of the army, would these people have surrendered?” Archived versions of such posts can be found here, here, and here. 

Screenshots of the social media posts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

The claim, however, is false. The incident actually occurred in Bangladesh. Two workers from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) attempted to break into a shop belonging to a political rival due to an internal conflict. The Bangladesh Army arrested the men.

How did we find the truth?

We conducted reverse image searches on keyframes from the viral video and discovered that Jamuna TV (archived here), a Bangladeshi media outlet, published a longer version of the video on YouTube on August 17, 2024. This extended footage shows the army personnel transporting the men in their vehicle. The video’s title and description indicate that the incident took place in Faridpur, where the army apprehended the men for vandalizing a shop. 

According to Dhaka Post, the Bangladesh Army detained the individuals after a clash between BNP factions in Faridpur’s Boalmari on August 14. The confrontation began when one faction’s shop was vandalized by the other. The arrested individuals were identified as Mohammed Tutul Hossain, 28, and Dukhu Mia, 30. The video gained significant social media attention on August 17 and was included in news reports.

Reports reveal that the internal conflict began on August 14 when a convoy belonging to Shamsuddin Mia Jhunu, a former BNP joint general secretary and prospective candidate for Faridpur-1, was attacked. Jhunu accused supporters of Khandkar Nasirul Islam, another potential BNP nominee, of the attack. Later that day, Sanjay Saha’s office, a supporter of Islam, was also attacked. Saha and his two sons sustained injuries, prompting a police complaint.

The report further said that the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Boalmari Police Station, Shahidul Islam, stated that the two men in the viral video were arrested by the army and handed over to the police. They were later sent to jail through the court on August 15, in connection with the Saha case.

A report by Dhaka Tribune also carried a screenshot from the viral video and noted that two individuals, identified as Tutul and Dukhu, had been detained in connection with the attack.

Vehicle belongs to Bangladesh Army

The vehicle in the video bears a number plate written in Bengali with an upward-pointing arrow, a format used for Bangladeshi Army vehicles. Indian Army vehicle number plates include an arrow but differ in format, with two letters and eight numbers. In contrast, the vehicle in the viral video has no letters and a different number arrangement, consistent with Bangladeshi Army plates.

The image shows the number plate in the viral video and the Indian army number plate. (Source: X/Wikimedia/Modified by Logically Facts)

The verdict

The video, which was originally from Bangladesh, was misrepresented as depicting the Indian Army stopping a theft. The actual incident occurred in Faridpur, Bangladesh, involving political party supporters vandalizing a rival’s shop. The video is unrelated to the Indian Army.