Photo shows mannequin delivery in Egypt, not murder victim transported by motorbike in India

This article is more than one year old.
Published on August 4, 2023 at 11:00
3 min read
By AFP Bangladesh

A photo has been shared in multiple Bengali-language social media posts that falsely claim it shows a murderer in the Indian state of Rajasthan transporting his victim's body on the back of a motorbike in June 2023. But the photo in fact shows a person delivering a mannequin in Egypt in May 2023. The photo previously circulated in Egyptian news reports that said the country's interior ministry had investigated and found the mannequin was being taken to a location in the capital Cairo.

The photo, which appears to show a human foot sticking out of a sack attached to the back of a motorbike, was shared on Facebook here on June 3, 2023.

Its Bengali-language caption reads in part: "What a freak!!! News reports say that the girl's name is Vinita from Rajasthan. The girl fell in love with a fruit seller and left home 22 days ago.

"But her boyfriend killed her and packed her like this and took her away on a motorbike. Incidentally, the girl's leg slipped out. A motorist saw it and took a picture and informed the police."

Screengrab of the false Facebook post, captured on July 26, 2023

The same image was also shared alongside similar false claims in other Bengali Facebook posts here and here; and in Hindi by an Indian-based user here.

Comments suggest some users believed the photo shows a body being transported.

One user asked: "What's the name of the perpetrator?"

"Cannot imagine how cruel man can be," another commented.

Mannequin delivery

A combination of keyword and reverse image searches on Google found a cropped version of the photo circulated in Egyptian news reports in June 2023, after earlier spreading in social media posts that questioned whether it showed a human body being transported within the country.

One Arabic-language report published on June 2 by Egyptian news outlet Cairo 24 says the Interior Ministry had "revealed the truth" about the photo (archived link).

The report says: "On examination, it was found that the image shows a mannequin used to display clothes. The owner of a clothes shop requested a transport company deliver the mannequin from his store to the Mokattam area in Cairo on 27/52023."

Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo used in the false post (left) and the photo published by Cairo 24 (right):

Screenshot comparison of the photo used in the false post (left) and the photo published by Cairo 24 (right)

The state-run Al-Ahram newspaper published a similar report here about the photo (archived link).

A closer analysis of the photo also shows the motorcycle's licence plate has Arabic script and is similar to examples of Egyptian licence plates shared on the specialist website License Plates of the Word (archived link). Indian licence plates use Roman script (archived link).

Screenshot comparison of the motorcycle's licence plate (left) and examples of Egyptian licence plates (right)

Police in Rajasthan posted about the photo as well.

In a Hindi-language "fake news alert" posted on Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X", the police said the picture shows a mannequin being transported in Egypt (archived link).

The force warned: "Strict action will be taken against those who spread such rumours."

Screenshot of the post by the Rajasthan police

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