A video is going viral on social media showing a dead body being recovered from a lake. Users sharing the video claim that 24-year-old Taufeeq Ahmad Chopan was abducted by Indian intelligence and later found dead with signs of torture in Srinagar’s Dal Lake. However, our investigation found this claim to be false.
Bahar wrote, ‘Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir Taufeeq Ahmed Chopan 24 years old youth who was abducted by Indian intelligence few days ago today his tortured body was recovered from Dal lake Srinagar. How long will Kashmiris endure this cruelty. The world is silent.’
Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir Taufeeq Ahmed Chopan 24 years old youth who was abducted by Indian intelligence few days ago today his tortured body was recovered from Dal lake Srinagar. How long will Kashmiris endure this cruelty. The world is silent. pic.twitter.com/qmXLpfzt43
— Bahar (@Queen_of_Herat) May 3, 2025
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Fact Check
We began our fact-checking process by performing a reverse image search of the viral video. The search led us to a YouTube video uploaded on May 3, 2025 by Jk Update, with the caption: “Boat Capsize Tragedy in Dal Lake Srinagar: Body of Missing Youth Recovered.”
Further verification came from a Greater Kashmir article published on May 3, 2025. It reported that the body of a youth who went missing after a boat capsized near Duck Park in Dal Lake on Friday afternoon was recovered by State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel on Saturday morning. An official stated that the rescue operation was suspended overnight due to poor visibility and resumed at first light. The deceased was identified as 24-year-old Taufeeq Ahmad Chopan, a resident of Chopan Mohalla in Rainawari, Srinagar.
Additionally, a Kashmir Age report dated May 2, 2025, stated that at least two people drowned when a boat capsized in Dal Lake amid gusty winds. One person was rescued, while the search was underway for the other. The rescued individual was identified as Abdul Majeed Khosa, son of Mohammad Sultan Khosa, also a resident of Rainawari, Srinagar.
| Claim | 24-year-old Taufeeq Ahmad Chopan was abducted by Indian intelligence and later found dead with signs of torture in Srinagar’s Dal Lake. |
| Claimed by | Bahar |
| Fact Check | The above findings confirm that the viral claim about Taufeeq Ahmad Chopan being abducted and tortured is false. His death resulted from a tragic boat accident. |
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