No, This Photo Does Not Show Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann Caught Stealing A Bike

An old photograph of newly-elected Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is being widely shared on social media with a false claim that the picture is from when Punjab Police nabbed Mann and three others for stealing a bike.

The photo shows a young Mann squatting on the ground along with three other men and looking a the camera with a solemn face. Their clothes appear to be drenched in Holi colours as well

The Hindi caption with the image translates to, "guess who? This photo was clicked when Punjab police held these four people for committing the crime of stealing bikes."

(Original Text in Hindi: #पहचान_कौन यह उस समय का चित्र है जब इन चारों को बाइक चोरी के अपराध में पंजाब पुलिस ने पकड़ लिया था)

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Fact Check

BOOM did a reverse image search using the photo and found the image on Punjabi singer and actor Karamjit Anmol's official Facebook page uploaded on March 18, 2022.

The caption with the photo reads as, "Holi memories with Bhagwant Mann & @manjitsidhu".

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According to a The Wire news report published on March 13, 2022, Karamjit Singh Anmol is an old friend of Mann. He campaigned for Mann in the Dhuri seat and shared that they have been together since 1990, right from their school days.

We also found an interview of Karamjit where he can be seen speaking about the Aam Aadmi Party leader.

Furthermore, we reached out to Punjab's Director-General of Police (DGP) office to verify the viral claim.

Speaking to BOOM, Assistant of Sub-Inspector (ASI) Gurpreet Singh confirmed that there is no truth to the claim alleging Bhagwant Mann was caught stealing a bike in his youth.

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