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Claim:  An X user, @leoleoqueen, has claimed that a video showing individuals transferring money from a box into polythene bags depicts proceeds made during the Mecca pilgrimage.

Verdict: False. A Google Reverse Image Search reveals that the video is from Bangladesh, not Mecca. The money seen being packed into bags is from donations collected at the Pagla Mosque in Kishoreganj, Bangladesh.

Full Text

An X user, @leoleoqueen, has alleged that a video showing individuals transferring money from a box into polythene bags is that of proceeds made during the Mecca pilgrimage.

The video is 2 minutes 38 seconds long and has a caption that says, “What a good business, religion scam. Seed sown in Mecca during this year’s Hajj. Saudis are now counting the proceeds.”

The post has garnered over 100,000 views on X.  

While some cast doubt on the video’s authenticity, others appear convinced. The potential spread of misinformation surrounding Mecca-related travels prompted DUBAWA to investigate the claim.

Verification 

DUBAWA analysed the viral footage using the InVID video verification tool. The tool generated keyframes from the video, which were then subjected to a Google reverse image search.

This search led to a report on the Daily Star, a reputable Bangladeshi news outlet. The article contained the full version of the video, showing individuals packing large sums of money into plastic bags.

The report was headlined “19 bags of cash in 8 donation boxes of Kishoreganj’s Pagla Mosque.” Further checks confirmed that the Pagla Mosque is located in Kishoreganji in Bangladesh, South Asia.

The article’s summary stated: “At least 19 bags of money were recovered from eight donation boxes of Pagla Mosque in Kishoreganj. The exact figure could not be known yet as the money was being counted till the filing of this report.”

A YouTube link embedded in the report led DUBAWA to the original video, published on May 6, 2023. The specific segment featured in the viral clip begins around the 48-second mark.

This evidence confirms that the footage circulating with claims of unaccounted Mecca donations is, in fact, from Bangladesh. The suggestion that the video shows money taken from a mosque in Mecca is misleading. 

Conclusion

The checks by DUBAWA establish that the viral video, alleged to show unaccounted funds from Mecca, is footage from an incident at the Pagla Mosque in Kishoreganj, Bangladesh. The original video published by the Daily Star on May 6, 2023, documents the collection of donations from mosque boxes, not any form of misconduct or misappropriation. As such, the circulating claims linking the footage to Mecca are false.