16-07-2025
Scripted clip falsely presented as 'theft by Bangladeshi refugee'
"These Bangladeshi/Rohingyas live in huts near the railway tracks and indulge in acts of snatching and robbery," reads the Hindi-language caption of a Facebook video posted on July 7, 2025.
The video -- viewed more than 20,000 times -- shows a man using a stick to knock a mobile phone out of the hands of a person filming from a fast-moving train.
The man then grabs the phone, which has fallen near the tracks, and celebrates.
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Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on July 14, 2025, with a red X added by AFP
The same video also surfaced in similar Facebook and X posts after India deported hundreds of people to Bangladesh without trial, drawing condemnation from activists and lawyers who called the expulsions illegal and based on ethnic profiling ( ).
New Delhi says the people deported are undocumented migrants.
Bangladesh, largely encircled by land by India, has seen relations with New Delhi turn icy since a mass uprising in 2024 toppled Dhaka's government, a former friend of India.
India has also been accused of forcibly deporting Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, with navy ships dropping them off the coast of the war-torn nation.
The video circulating online, however, was scripted.
A on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to a higher-quality Facebook reel posted on July 1 (archived link).
The false posts use a horizontally flipped version of the video.
"Do not keep your mobile phone and hands outside while travelling," reads its Bengali-language caption, alongside hashtags for "funny reels" and "comedy".
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Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and the original Facebook clip (right)
The video was shared on the Facebook page of Md Rota Mia, a user based in Bangladesh who describes themselves as a comedian. The page also features similarly staged clips (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked other posts misrepresenting scripted videos.
