Fact-check: Video of child tortured in Muzaffargarh is authentic; suspects arrested

Multiple social media accounts in Pakistan are circulating a video purportedly showing a child being brutally beaten in Muzaffargarh, Punjab, claiming that the child was caught stealing.

The claim is true. The video is indeed of a child who was recently tortured in Muzaffargarh.

Claim

On September 25, an over one-minute-long video was shared on social media with the caption: “Breaking news. In Muzaffargarh, a child is being subjected to inhumane treatment.”

The caption further stated that the incident took place in the Langer Wah area of Muzaffargarh, where a seven-year-old child was tied up with ropes and forced to lick shoes. The video shows a young child, who has been tied up, crying while men around him laugh.

Similar claims were shared on X (formerly Twitter) here and here as well, claiming that the child was accused of theft after which men in the area mistreated him.

Fact

Police officials have confirmed that a child was indeed tortured in Muzaffargarh, as seen in the video, and the men involved were later arrested.

Syed Hasnain Haider, the district police officer (DPO) of Muzaffargarh, told Geo Fact Check over the phone that all seven men involved in the incident were cuffed within 24 hours.

Fayaz-Ul-Haq, the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) at Alipur in Muzaffargarh, also confirmed the authenticity of the video and the crime’s location. He then shared the police complaint lodged by the child’s mother against the men.

On September 25, even the Punjab Police’s official X (Twitter) handle stated that the men who tortured the child were arrested.

"From Muzaffargarh, the video of an innocent child being tortured went viral after which police took immediate action,” the post read.

Follow us on @GeoFactCheck on X (Twitter) and @geo_factcheck on Instagram. If our readers detect any errors, we encourage them to contact us at [email protected]