6 held over 'defamatory' remarks on senior govt officials
RAB says the suspects were arrested in raids across the country following multiple cases
Six people were arrested allegedly for publishing obscene, defamatory and offensive posts on social media targeting senior government officials.
RAB Director of Legal and Media Wing MZM Intekhab Chowdhury confirmed today (5 July) that the arrested are Zainal Abedin Manik, Robin Taj, Mamun Laskar Sarkar, Md Helal Uddin, Nazrul Islam and Md Ismail alias Rubel.
He disclosed the information at a media briefing held at the RAB Media Centre in the afternoon.
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He said that since late last year, obscene, defamatory and offensive content targeting important and senior government officials had been circulated through various Facebook accounts, groups, pages and Telegram channels, severely damaging the reputation of those concerned.
Following multiple cases filed with police stations across the country, RAB intensified intelligence surveillance at the request of investigating officers. Based on intelligence and information gathered through technological means, the force conducted raids in different parts of the country and arrested the six suspects.
Intekhab Chowdhury said legal proceedings against the arrestees are underway and efforts are continuing to identify and arrest other members of the network.
He also urged the public to verify sensitive information before sharing it on social media or other online platforms and to refrain from spreading misinformation or propaganda.
Speaking at the same briefing, International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) prosecutor Tanvir Hassan Zoha said several AI-generated images targeting senior state officials had recently been circulated through Telegram, Facebook and YouTube channels by what he described as "fascist groups" as part of a planned propaganda campaign.
He said four cases have been filed over the matter and that each of the images had been examined using AI detection software, confirming that they were artificially generated.
Zoha added that digital evidence collected during the investigation would be submitted to the court.
He further alleged that organised groups operating both inside and outside the country, along with coordinated bot networks, were attempting to damage the state's image through the dissemination of such content.
He said the authorities would use digital forensic evidence to bring those responsible to justice.
