Alt News co-founder and fact-checker Mohammed Zubair alleged on Monday, May 12, that his address and phone number have been leaked online by a far-right social media handler.
Taking to X, Zubair tagged Karnataka chief minister M Siddaramaiah, deputy CM DK Shivakumar along with senior police officers, Bengaluru police commissioner, deputy commissioner of police (East Bengaluru), appealing for strict action against Cyber Huntss, who threatened to send pork at the fact checker’s residence.
“People have leaked my home address and Mobile Number and have threatened to send Pork to my address. There are already life threats against me. This isn’t the first time. The same person in 2023 had sent Pork to my address and shared the shipping address on Twitter,” Zubair’s X account read.
The fact-checker also stated that he had received a similar threat from the same right-wing handle in 2023. “Last time when I filed a complaint, the FIR was closed after a few months,” he alleged.
Cyber Huntss‘s tweet, which is now reported deleted, has been shared and retweeted by another Hindutva handlers Paise Wala and Hindutva knight.
Mohammed Zubair combats misinformation and fake news in India, particularly those that incite communal tensions. Due to the nature of his work, he is often targeted by Hindutva groups.
He has been instrumental in debunking various claims by the Pakistan military over ‘successful attacks on Indian soil’, following diplomatic tensions between the two neighbouring countries after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people on April 22.
In June 2022, Zubair was arrested by Delhi Police over a 2018 tweet, accused of “insulting Hindu religious beliefs.” His arrest drew widespread criticism from journalistic bodies, human rights organisations, and political opposition, who viewed it as an attack on press freedom.
