Recently, a video has been widely circulated across social media platforms, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok. The posts claim that the woman featured in the video is Monica Yunus, the daughter of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor of the interim government, who was allegedly arrested for drunk driving. Furthermore, the posts allege that she is a lesbian.
The claim has been shared in multiple Facebook posts, which can be seen here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), here (Archive), and here (Archive).
Some posts share only the textual claim without attaching the video, such as this one (Archive).
Similar claims have been propagated on X:
The claim has also been shared on YouTube:
The same claim was also made by Indian lawyer Nazia Elahi Khan during an interview with the Indian YouTube channel Bongo TV.
The same claim has been shared on TikTok, such as this post (Archive).
Fact Check
The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation revealed that the woman in the video, who was arrested for drunk driving, is not Monica Yunus, the daughter of Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Instead, the video features a different woman named Monica, who has been falsely identified as Dr. Yunus’s daughter.
During the investigation, a reverse image search of multiple keyframes from the video traced it to a YouTube video titled “Drunk Woman Crashes her Car After a Breakup in Verona, New Jersey” published by the channel Transparency Bodycam on August 28. The initial portion of this video corresponds to the widely circulated footage.
The YouTube channel Transparency Bodycam primarily uploads videos recorded using police body cameras. Observing the original video reveals that the arrested woman identified herself as Monica Yunus. She further stated that she was born in New York and is Puerto Rican. Additionally, she mentioned that she was intoxicated after a breakup with her girlfriend. The description of the video notes that the incident occurred on April 16, 2022, at 2:31 AM in Verona, New Jersey, and in May 2022, a court found her guilty and issued penalties.
In contrast, Dr. Yunus’s daughter Monica Yunus’s official website states that she was born in Chattogram, Bangladesh, not New York. Furthermore, in an interview with CNN (link) in January 2023, Monica Yunus mentioned that although she is an American citizen, her birthplace is Bangladesh. There is no evidence of her claiming to be Puerto Rican.
It should be noted that Puerto Rico is not a sovereign country or territory, it is a US territory, and citizens born in Puerto Rico are considered American citizens(Source), but many people also claim to be Puerto Rican for various reasons, including cultural reasons. However, they do not have exactly the same rights as a citizen of the United States mainland, such as being unable to vote in US presidential elections from Puerto Rico.
It has not been independently verified whether Monica Yunus supports LGBTQ+ rights or identifies as a lesbian. However, credible sources, including The New York Times (link) and bdnews24.com (link), confirm that she has been married to fellow opera singer Brandon McReynolds since 2009. Monica Yunus is also recognized as a distinguished opera performer.
Furthermore, no credible evidence or reports from reliable sources support the claim that Monica Yunus was arrested for driving under the influence.
Additionally, comparing the facial features of Monica Yunus with the woman in the video shows clear differences, further confirming they are not the same person.
Conclusion
The claim that Monica Yunus, daughter of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor to the Interim Government, was arrested for drunk driving is completely false. The video in question features a different woman with no connection to Dr. Yunus, and the allegations about her sexual orientation are baseless.
Sources
- Transparency Bodycam – Drunk Woman Crashes her Car After a Breakup in Verona, New Jersey
- Monica Yunus – About
- CNN – Daughter Tries to Stop Bangladesh from Locking up her Nobel Laureate Father
- New York Times – Monica Yunus, Brandon McReynolds
- Rumor Scanner’s Own Analysis
