A video is being widely shared on social media in which some people are seen entering a mall with guns, with their faces covered.
The text embedded in the video suggests that the viral video shows a terrorist attack on a mall in Patna, Bihar. A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “Terrorist attack on P&M Mall in Patna” (Translated from Hindi)
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video shows a mock drill on security preparations.
In some of the viral videos, we could see a watermark on the video that read, @appanpatna_. Using the hint, we searched for @appanpatna_ and found it to be an Instagram account. The viral video was shared by the account on May 20. A reply in the comment section suggested that the viral video shows a mock drill at the mall.
On searching with relevant keywords, we were not able to find any reports of any terror attack on P&M Mall in Patna.
However, we came across a news report published by ETV Bharat on May 21. According to the report, on May 20, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Bihar conducted a high-intensity mock drill at P&M Mall in Patna, simulating a hostage crisis and grenade attack by four fake terrorists. The exercise aimed to assess emergency response and security preparedness. However, many visitors panicked and were confused due to a lack of prior information. The drill was carried out to ensure the readiness of security forces in light of recent terrorist incidents in the country.
The incident was also reported by Jagran.
Therefore, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.
