Terrorist Caught Planting Bomb Inside DMart Shopping Mall: Fact Check

Story:

A Terrorist Caught Planting Bomb Inside Dmart Shopping Mall in Virar, Mumbai

Other Versions

1. Terrorist Arrested in Virar Dmart with Bomb

2. (Hindi)
Aatapur D MART ke andar se aaj ek aathanki ko pakad liya gaya jo time bomb fit kar raha tha

Fact Check:

A video popularly shared on social media purports to show a Terrorist caught planting Bomb inside DMart shopping mall of Virar, Mumbai. The short video shows some policemen bringing out a man in mask at the gun point and taking him into custody. It also appeared with descriptions like a terrorist arrest in other places like Attapur, Rajendranagar DMart of Hyderabad, India. The video and associated claims garnered importance in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack in Pulwama region of Jammu and Kashmir. However, as explained below, the video does not actually show any Terrorist caught planting Bomb inside DMart shopping mall.

Video Does Not Show Terrorist Caught Planting Bomb Inside DMart

The video also appeared on social media sites with claims like it shows an Islamic terrorist caught in Jalgaon with guns and explosives on him (as in suicide bomber). Nonetheless, what you see in the video is in fact a mock drill conducted at a DMart hypermarket in Virar to spread public awareness as to how to deal with a terror-like situation. The Palghar district Police in association with Riot Control Police and Quick Response Team conducted the mock drill on 14th February 2019 at around 5 pm. So, the video does not show any Terrorist caught planting Bomb inside a shopping mall in Mumbai, Hyderabad or elsewhere in India. The man in mask is a dummy terrorist acting for the mock drill, not a real one.

The counter-terror mock drill went for around 30 minutes, leaving the shoppers in shopping mall surprised. After terrorist attack in Pulwama, some people shot the video of mock drill and posted it as real incident on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and also WhatsApp. Consequently, Maharashtra and Hyderabad Police confirmed the video is just part of a mock drill. After the video went viral with false claims, Maharashtra Cyber Crime Cell has initiated a probe into the matter.

About Terrorist Attack in Pulwama

The same day on 14th February 2019 at around 15:15 IST, a deadly terrorist attack took place in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. A vehicle-borne suicide bomber attacked a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel near Awantipora on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway. A Mahindra Scorpio SUV carrying explosives rammed a bus carrying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security personnel and blasted. The deadly attack took away the lives of 40 CRPF personnel of India belonging to 76th Battalion; injuring many others.

Image of Terrorist Attack in Pulwama — Terrorist Attack in Pulwama

Initial investigations suggested the SUV carried more than 300 kilograms of explosives. The 22-year old suicide bomber, a local youth named Adil Ahmed Dar also died on the spot. Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed the responsibility of the attack.