A video going viral on social media (here, here, and here) shows a police officer being escorted barefoot by a group of men. A user claims that the officer is Shahnawaz Khan, a DSP from Kanpur, who was allegedly caught red-handed by the anti-corruption team in the police station storeroom while taking ₹1.5 lakh and handing over seized illegal weapons, such as guns and pistols to his friends. Let’s verify the truth behind this video in this article.
Claim: A Muslim DSP in Kanpur was arrested by an anti-corruption team for taking ₹1.5 lakh and handing over seized illegal weapons to his friends.
Fact: The Muslim police officer shown in the video is a constable not a DSP and was not arrested for taking ₹1.5 lakh and handing over seized illegal weapons to his friends. He was actually arrested for accepting a ₹15,000 bribe to take quick action in a case filed by Rinku, a resident of Juhi, against several individuals under the SC/ST Act. Shahnawaz initially demanded ₹20,000 but later agreed to ₹15,000. Rinku reported this to the vigilance team, which confirmed the complaint and caught Shahnawaz in a sting operation. After his arrest, he tried to escape but was restrained and dragged barefoot from the ACP Babupurwa office. Therefore, the claim in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to a video published by NDTV on 10 September 2024, which matches the viral video. The video’s description reads, “Head Constable Gets Arrested Over Corruption Charges In Kanpur.”
Taking a clue from the video description a Google keyword search led us to news reports (here, here, and here). According to reports, the incident took place in Kanpur, UP, where a vigilance team arrested Head Constable Shahnawaz Khan while taking a ₹15,000 bribe. After being caught, he tried to run away but was stopped and dragged barefoot from the ACP Babupurwa office. The bribe was related to a case filed by Rinku, a resident of Juhi, against several people under the SC/ST Act. During the investigation, Shahnawaz demanded ₹20,000 for quick action but later agreed to ₹15,000. Rinku reported this to the vigilance team, which confirmed the complaint and caught Shahnawaz in a sting operation.
Since we could not find any reports about Shahnawaz Khan being caught with ₹1.5 lakh and handing over illegal weapons, we contacted the UP Vigilance Department. They clarified that the case was related to a ₹15,000 bribe and that no illegal weapons were found at the time of the arrest.
To sum up, the police officer was a constable, not a DSP, and was arrested for accepting a ₹15,000 bribe to speed up a case, not for taking ₹1.5 lakh and handling over seized illegal weapons to his friends.
