'188-year-old man' rescued in Bengaluru? Here's the truth behind the viral video

A video claiming to show a "188-year-old man" being rescued from a cave near Bengaluru has gone viral, gathering over 34 million views on X. The footage, shared by the account 'Concerned Citizen,' sparked widespread debate and curiosity. The caption read: "This Indian man has just been found in a cave. It's alleged he's 188 years old. Insane."

The 24-second video shows two men helping an elderly man with a white beard who is hunched over and using a walking stick. While the video went viral, the remarkable claim about the man's age was met with skepticism from fact-checkers and social media platforms.

Several reports clarified that the man in the video is Siyaram Baba, a Hindu saint from Madhya Pradesh. Instead of being 188 years old, he is around 110 years old. X also added a disclaimer below the original post, stating: "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."

Data verification group D-Intent Data confirmed the findings. They labeled the video and the age claim as misleading. In a post on X, they stated, "ANALYSIS: Misleading. FACT: A video showing people helping an elderly man claims he is a 188-year-old Indian found in a cave. This is not true. The elderly man is a saint named 'Siyaram Baba,' who lives in Madhya Pradesh, India."

The platform's fact-checking note also cited a July 2024 article from Navbharat Times, which confirmed that the man's true identity is Siyaram Baba, and stated he was 109 years old at the time. Siyaram Baba is a respected saint in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh.

Although the video went viral, it has been established that the claim of a "188-year-old man" is false. Experts have warned that social media influencers are increasingly sharing videos with exaggerated and unverified claims to attract attention. D-Intent Data advised users, stating, “Influencers are posting videos with made-up claims to gain visibility on social media.”