By Srijit Das
A video from Bangladesh of a honey collector attracting bees by playing the flute is being shared with a false claim that he is a Hindu and a devotee of the deity Krishna.
BOOM found that the claim is false and the man in the video is Mahatab Morol, a Muslim man who has become popular in Bangladesh as Pied Piper who attracts bees by playing his flute.
The video shows is being shared with a caption in Hindi translates to, "There is also a devotee whose music from his flute makes a swarm of bees delighted, such greatness can only be seen in Sanatan Dharma. Hail Lord Krishna".
(Original Text in Hindi: एक भक्त ऐसा भी है जिसकी बांसुरी के धुन पर मधुमक्खियों का झुंड आनंद विभोर होता है ऐसी महानता सिर्फ सनातन धर्म में ही देखने को मिलती है जय श्री कृष्णा)
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Fact Check
BOOM ran a keyword search with a reverse image search and found a Bangladeshi news outlet Rtv News report with the same visuals as the viral video aired by the channel on June 23, 2021.
The video report identified the man as Mahatab Morol who collects honey by playing on his flute and sells it to support his family in Bangladesh.
According to an article published by Daily Bangladesh on June 9, 2021, "After collecting the honey, Moral put the leftover on a cloth and hung it around the house as a sign of love. The bees sit on the cloth and take food and fly around the house. At one stage, Moral used to bring the bees closer to him by removing the tin plate and playing the flute. Hearing that tune, now thousands of bees gather in his body."
The report further stated that Mahatab started extracting honey from beehives at the age of 12.
We then reached out to Moral who dismissed the viral claim and said that he is a Muslim. Speaking to BOOM Bangladesh, Morol said, "My father is a Muslim and I am also a Muslim by birth." Describing his work, Moral said, "I have been collecting honey for about 22 years now. I came to this profession because I requested someone to eat honey in my childhood but the person refused. Then I decided that I will collect honey after I grow up and if any children ask for honey, I will give it to them for free," he added.
(Additional Reporting: Ameer Shakir, BOOM Bangladesh)
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