Fact Check: Truth behind the emotional story of this boy selling masks

A photo of a kid selling face masks is going viral with the claim that he is giving them away for free to those who cannot afford them as his mother advised him to help the needy.

At a time strict Covid-19 protocols have been introduced to control the second wave of the pandemic, a striking picture of a child selling face masks is circulating on social media. The emotional claim with the picture says the boy is giving away masks for free to those who do not have money, as his mother asked him to help people in need. Several Facebook users have shared the picture with a caption in Hindi which translates to, “Kid says, if you don’t have money, will give away masks for free, mom has said people need help”. India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found no such emotional story attached to the picture. This is seven-year-old Uzbillah who along with his brother was selling masks at a street corner in Pakistan’s Karachi last year.