A video claiming to show a "188-year-old man" rescued from a cave near Bengaluru has gone viral on social media. The footage, shared by a user called 'Concerned Citizen' on X, has rapidly gained attention, accumulating nearly 30 million views. The post reads, "This Indian man has just been found in a cave. It's alleged he's 188 years old. Insane."
Two men can be seen helping the elderly man walk in the 24-second video. The old man, with a hunchback and a white beard, also relies on a walking stick for support.
Though the video went viral, the claim was quickly called into question.
Multiple reports suggest that the individual in the video is actually a 110-year-old Hindu saint from Madhya Pradesh. X also added a disclaimer to the post, clarifying that the age claim was inaccurate. The note stated, "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."
The platform also cited a Navbharat Times article from July 2, 2024, which revealed the man's true identity. The report stated that Siyaram Baba, the elderly man in the video, was 109 years old and well-known in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh.
The data verification group D-Intent Data also labeled the viral video as misleading. In a post on X, they explained, "ANALYSIS: Misleading. FACT: A video of some people helping an elderly individual has been shared, claiming that a 188-year-old Indian Man has just been found in a cave. The fact is that these claims are not true. The elderly man is a Saint named 'Siyaram Baba,' who lives in Madhya Pradesh, India."
The post also cautioned that "Influencers are circulating videos with self-invented claims to get the spotlight on social media."
An Instagram user with the handle @siyaram_baba00 regularly posted photos and videos featuring Siyaram Baba and had amassed over 248,000 followers. The account shared a video showing a different angle of the same moment featured in the viral clip that falsely claimed Baba was 188 years old. This video was uploaded by the account's manager on September 25.
The oldest man ever verified by Guinness World Records was Japan's Jiroemon Kimura, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 116 years and 54 days, as reported by AP. The oldest woman recognized by Guinness was France's Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived 122 years and 164 days until her death in 1997.
