Two remanded, eight denied bail for using AI-generated videos of Azhari to sell products
The investigating officer said the group had been involved in fraud by selling aphrodisiac medicines both in Bangladesh and abroad.
A Dhaka court has placed two individuals on a two-day remand and denied bail to eight others in a case involving alleged fraud using AI-generated deepfake videos of Islamic speaker Mizanur Rahman Azhari to promote and sell aphrodisiac products.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Awlad Hossain Muhammad Junaid passed the order today (5 May) after a hearing.
The court granted remand for Md Sarafat Hossain, 24 and Md Shafaet Hossain Shuvo, 21, while rejecting both remand and bail petitions for the remaining eight accused.
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Assistant Sub-Inspector Md Mamun Hossain of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Prosecution Division confirmed the matter.
The case was filed under the Cyber Security Act on 23 April at Paltan Model Police Station by an individual named Bilal Hossain.
Following this, a joint operation by police from Paltan Model Police Station and Bayazid Bostami Police Station in Chattogram led to the arrest of 10 people from the Shershah Colony area on 24 April.
On 25 April, the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Samim Hasan of Paltan Police Station, produced the accused before the court and sought a 10-day remand for each.
The court sent them to jail at the time and fixed today for the remand hearing.
The other accused are Shahadat Towfik, 21; Md Imam Hossain Bijoy, 21; Md Rafiqul Hasan, 21; Minhajur Rahman Shahed, 19; Towki Tajwar Ilham, 21; Omid Hasan, 21; Md Abdullah Fahim, 21; and Md Imran, 24.
Although they are from different districts, police said the group operated by renting a flat in the Bayazid Bostami area of Chattogram.
During the hearing, the investigating officer said the group had been involved in fraud by selling aphrodisiac medicines both in Bangladesh and abroad.
To gain public trust, they used images and videos of Azhari. Based on information obtained, fake medicines were also recovered from the Mohammadpur area.
"The websites, hosting and domains used by the accused were not created within the country. Posts from these platforms were made as recently as eight hours ago, and the pages remain active," he said, seeking remand to identify others involved.
During the proceedings, the court observed that such medicines could have harmful effects on the human body.
Defence lawyers Mosleh Uddin Jashim, Sharif Ahmed and others sought bail and cancellation of remand, arguing that the accused were students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds and not the main organisers.
"They performed tasks as instructed. The accused are innocent. We pray for cancellation of their remand and for bail," one defence lawyer said.
After hearing both sides, the court granted a two-day remand for Sarafat and Shuvo, while rejecting the remand and bail applications for the remaining accused.
According to the case statement, the group had been carrying out digital forgery in a planned manner by collecting images and voice samples of Mizanur Rahman Azhari from social media.
Using artificial intelligence and deepfake technology, they allegedly replicated his appearance and voice.
These manipulated videos were then used to promote an aphrodisiac product named "Eurocin".
Believing the content to be genuine, customers placed orders. The group allegedly promoted the videos through more than 24 fake Facebook pages and websites, including "Azhari Shop", "Doctor Seba" and "Halal Shop", and collected money by delivering the products through courier services.
