“My life is in danger,” says Karachi boy after viral meme portrayed him as dacoit

With street crime on the rise in Karachi, social media has become a central tool, where angered citizens share CCTV footage of snatching incidents, hoping to identify muggers and help in their arrest.

However, in a disturbing incident, a young boy's photo was misused in a meme, falsely identifying him as the culprit in an alleged snatching incident in the metropolis.

In an interview, Abdul Basit explained that after the meme falsely identifying him as a mugger went viral on social media, his social media accounts were flooded with death threats, which deeply disturbed his family.

The viral meme has turned Abdul Basit's life upside down. Fearful for his safety, he wears a mask whenever he goes out.

"My friends compared a picture of me to a dacoit and posted it on social media. People started sharing it without verification," he said.

He stated that he has been constantly visiting the Fderal Investigation Agency (FIA) office and police stations to report the misuse of his pictures on social media.

Since the meme went viral, Abdul Basit said that his relatives have been calling his mother, and asking if he has become a dacoit. This has caused his extreme distress.

He requested social media users to report the accounts of his friends who misused his photo and inflicted misery upon his family.