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Fact Check: How a news about a Nepali youth ‘starving in USA’ turns out to be fake


12 April 2020  

Time taken to read : 5 Minute


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KATHMANDU: Recently, a video with a Nepali young man claiming that he was starving in the US went viral.

Pawan Chapagain, a tenant at comedian Puskar Pant’s house in Virginia, was seen crying and claiming that he is starving in the US.

In the video, he is seen crying and saying that he penniless and the landlord has also kicked him out from the house. However, his cry and blame have turned out to be fake.

He has been living at Fairfax Annandale at Pant’s house for the last 22 months and he is still working at 7-Eleven Store located at Berk, Virginia.

He goes to the store early in the morning at about 5 AM and returns home at about 8 PM. Another resident at Virginia, Puru Subedi also met him working on the same store on Friday.

According to Pant, Chapagain is neither starving nor has lost his job. He is not asked to leave the house as well.

Most of the things the youth said in the video are false. He is found circulating fake news.

The reality with the youth

In the video, he says there is no foodstuff in the market and the only items available are the ones either rotten or consisting of pesticides.

That’s 100% incorrect as the food and drug administration in the USA has restricted importing or selling the goods and items consisting of pesticides.

The government takes action against those who sell the goods and items harmful to public health. Provided found in the market, such goods and items are withdrawn from the market.

Click here to find out how to report problems related to food items

Similarly, there is no scarcity of food items in the USA. All the businesses starting from grocery stores to restaurants delivering foods that are open.

In the first few days of the corona pandemic, there were few things in the store. But now there is no scarcity of food items now.

There is no scarcity like the one claimed by the youth. Many cities in the USA have been providing free foodstuffs to needy youths. Many not-for-profit organizations have been distributing such food free of cost.

Click here to find out where you can find free food in Virginia

The youth has claimed that he is prosecuted for Felony 2, yet he claims that he has a new vehicle, bank account, mobile phone and credit cards. This is paradoxical. The person found guilty in such allegations gets either life imprisonment or 20 years imprisonment and 100 thousand dollars as fine. Click here to see the list of the crimes categorized as felony 2.

Although he has been sued in a case, it’s not proved to be felony 2 yet. It’s said that someone staying together has filed a case against him.

There are millions of people working without formal documents in the USA. When the people without formal documents are working there, his claim that he has not been permitted to work is baseless.

Except in the corporate and government service, no other professionals are priorly screened to find out their criminal records.

He has said that he is banished from house fearing he may transmit coronavirus. US laws restrict such banishment and if someone dismisses others under such cases, the victims can complain at 311 or 911 for help.

Many Nepali organizations are helping the coronavirus affected communities in the USA. The youths claim that even Nepalis there, run away from him fearing coronavirus transmission.

Provided a Nepali finds himself or herself at difficulties, they can contact at the embassy or consulate’s office. 4 telephones at the embassy and the consulate’s office are open 24 hours.

Despite such provisions, the youth has defamed the Nepali community as his video is going viral.

Publish Date : 12 April 2020 14:07 PM

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