Fact Check: Fake Post Claiming Death Of Ujjain Minor Rape Accused In Encounter Going Viral On Internet

New Delhi Vishvas News – A post about the alleged rape of a minor girl in Ujjain and the subsequent encounter killing of the rapist has been circulating widely. It is claimed that the police were responsible for the encounter. Vishvas News conducted an investigation into this viral post, which ultimately revealed it to be false. The accused individual is still alive. Initially, there were some reports suggesting that the accused had indeed been encountered by the police. However, these reports were later proven to be incorrect.

What’s Going Viral?

Facebook user Ashish Sharma shared a post on September 28 claiming, “The rapist of a minor girl in Ujjain was killed by the police while trying to escape from the hospital while undergoing medical treatment. Two policemen were also injured in this incident….! This is the new India, whoever does wrong with daughters will not be spared!” Many other users on different social media platforms have shared this video with similar claims.

Investigation:

Vishvas News initially used the Google Open Search tool to scrutinise the viral post. When searching using relevant keywords, several media reports were discovered. A news article published on News 18’s website on September 28 stated that Bharat Soni, the accused of raping a girl, had been apprehended by the police. He sustained injuries while attempting to evade arrest, and during the process, the police transported the accused to the scene. Simultaneously, the accused startled the police officers and attempted to flee, resulting in injuries to two policemen.

In the course of our investigation, a news report was also found on Zee News’ YouTube channel dated September 28, which indicated that the incident involving the rape of the girl had taken place on September 25. The primary accused had sustained injuries while trying to escape from the police, and there was no mention of an encounter in this report.

During the Google search, a news article was discovered on Naiduniya’s website dated September 29. This article stated, “The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is actively collecting scientific evidence such as DNA and blood sample reports to ensure the harshest punishment for the accused in the rape of a teenage girl. Original hard disks of CCTV footage will also be seized. The case will be expedited in a fast-track court. Meanwhile, the Ujjain Bar Association has resolved not to represent the accused, who has been remanded in judicial custody for seven days. The accused, who suffered an injury while attempting to flee and fell, underwent surgery at the district hospital on Friday.”

During the investigation, we came across a post on the Twitter handle of Ujjain SP. A press release was shared in this post on September 28, stating that the police had apprehended the individual responsible for the girl’s rape.

At the conclusion of our investigation, we contacted Surya Narayan Mishra, the in-charge of Naidunia, Ujjain. We shared the viral post with him, and he explained that initial information had suggested an encounter had occurred, but it was later confirmed that the rape accused was alive. The viral post is indeed false.

In the course of our investigation, we also reached out to Naiduniya Digital. Arvind Dubey, the deputy news editor there, clarified that the news of the encounter of the accused in the Ujjain rape case was false. This rumour spread when the police took the accused to the scene, where he attempted to flee and sustained injuries in the process.

Towards the end of our investigation, we delved into the background of the user responsible for the fake post. It was revealed that this user, by the name of Ashish Sharma, resides in Shahjahanpur and had created the account in December 2020.