Truth behind '188-year-old man' rescued from cave in India

A video claiming to show the rescue of a "188-year-old man" from a cave near India's Bengaluru has ammassed more than 34 million views on the social media platform X.

The post, shared by the account 'Concerned Citizen,' featured a 24-second clip of two men helping an elderly individual with a hunched back, a white beard, and a walking stick.

The accompanying caption read: "This Indian man has just been found in a cave. It's alleged he's 188 years old. Insane."

Photo: Twitter (Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho)

The sensational claim sparked widespread debate and curiosity, but fact-checkers were quick to scrutinise the video. Multiple reports soon surfaced, identifying the man in the footage as Siyaram Baba, a Hindu saint from Madhya Pradesh, not a 188-year-old as claimed.

Reports indicate that Siyaram Baba is approximately 110 years old, far younger than the viral claims suggested.

The social media platform X also took action by adding a disclaimer to the post, alerting viewers to the misinformation. "Misinformation! The elderly man is a Hindu Saint named 'Siyaram Baba' who lives in Madhya Pradesh, India.

According to reports, he is about 110 years old," read the fact-check.

Data verification group D-Intent Data further validated this, labelling the video and its accompanying claims as misleading.

The group stated, "A video of some people helping an elderly individual has been shared, falsely claiming that a 188-year-old Indian man was found in a cave.

The fact is that these claims are untrue. The man is a Saint named 'Siyaram Baba' from Madhya Pradesh."

Photo: Twitter D-Intent Data (@dintentdata)

Additional confirmation came from a July 2024 article in Navbharat Times, which verified Siyaram Baba's identity and age, listing him as 109 at the time.

The article also noted that Siyaram Baba is a well-respected saint in Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh, where he is revered by the local community.

While the video quickly gained traction on social media, it has since been debunked. Experts have issued warnings about the growing trend of sensationalised and unverified claims circulating on social media.

D-Intent Data urged caution, pointing out that influencers are increasingly sharing misleading content to gain attention. "Influencers are circulating videos with self-invented claims to get the spotlight on social media," the group stated in its analysis.