A set of photos showing a lookalike of cricketer Virat Kohli posing with a baby girl is being shared with a false claim that it shows Kohli with his daughter and her face being shown in a public photo for the first time.
Kohli had stated in May 2021 during a Ask me Anything (AMA) session that he and his wife Anushka Sharma have decided as a couple to not expose their child to social media before she has an understanding of what social media is and can make her own choice. Kohli and Sharma have previously posted photos of their newborn on Instagram, however, none of the photos show their daughter's face.
The couple and their 10-month-old daughter have faced targeted trolling and online abuse. A 23-year-old man from Hyderabad was arrested by the Mumbai Police back in November for giving a rape threat to Kohli's daughter on Twitter after India lost to Pakistan in the Men's T20 World Cup.
An investigation by BOOM had revealed that the now-deleted Twitter account which gave the rape threat belonged to Telugu-speaking Indian right-wing user.
Also Read: Twitter User Threatening Kohli's Daughter With Rape Is From India, Not Pak
The set of photos are being shared with the caption, "Finally, #ViratKohli 's daughter vamika Kohli face revealed"
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral photos are not of Virat Kohli, but of a lookalike of the cricketer. The photos have been taken from Facebook posts of a person named - Susobhan Lahiri from West Bengal. Lahri who resembles Kohli was posing with his niece in the viral photos.
We came across a post that had shared the Facebook post with the viral photos which were posted by a Facebook user - Susobhan Lahiri. On checking his profile, we found that the post was from May 4, 2021, and posted with the caption, 'Mama Bhat'.
'Mama Bhat' is a Bengali ceremony where the Mama (Maternal Uncle) or Dadu (Maternal Grandfather) does the honour of feeding the first grain of rice to the child.
Lahiri had also posted a collage of other family photographs on November 16, 2020. The same baby girl can be seen in these photos. Kohli and Sharma's daughter was recently born in January 2021, and these photos predate it.
India Today had spoken to Lahiri on the viral photos and he confirmed that they are his pictures with his niece.
BOOM has reached out to Lahiri for a response, the article will be updated on receiving one.