Man arrested after posting video holding endangered dolphin
Saddam claimed he had taken the dolphin from fishermen, filmed the video, and returned it to them
Police in Kushtia have arrested a content creator named Saddam Hossain for posting a video where he was seen holding a dead endangered dolphin, caught from the Padma River.
He was picked up around 9:30pm on Thursday (30 October) from the Khoksa Upazila Chattar area, according to Khoksa police.
Khoksa Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Mainul Islam told The Business Standard,"Saddam Hossain has been arrested under Sections 37 and 41 of the Wildlife Conservation Act. He is being interrogated, and further legal proceedings are underway."
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Earlier on Tuesday (28 October), Saddam posted a 28-second video on his Facebook page where he is seen running around with a dead dolphin on his shoulder, saying, "I got it! This creature has eaten up all the hilsa in the Padma River. People aren't getting any hilsa, so I caught it."
The video also features him saying, "It's called a dolphin — it eats all the hilsa in the Padma."
The footage quickly went viral, sparking outrage among the public and environmental activists, many of whom demanded exemplary punishment under the Wildlife Conservation Act.
Officials said this was not the first such incident — earlier videos posted from the same Facebook page showed Saddam catching various species of fish and aquatic animals from the Padma River.
On Thursday afternoon, officials from the forest departments of Kushtia, Khoksa, and Rajbari visited the site and, after a preliminary investigation, filed a case with Khoksa Police Station.
Following the complaint, police conducted a raid and arrested Saddam Hossain later that night.
Saddam, however, claimed that he had returned the dolphin to fishermen.
He said, "Officials from the forest department came, and I explained everything to them. I took the dolphin from fishermen, made the video, and returned it to them."
Local residents also confirmed his statement.
Divisional Forest Officer Md Rezaul Alam said, "We have sent a team to investigate the incident. Later, officials from Khoksa and Rajbari also visited the spot. Initial findings suggest that the dolphin was already dead when recovered by fishermen. Saddam filmed the video while traveling to Rajbari in a van and later posted it on Facebook.
"However, making and sharing videos of wildlife on social media also constitutes an offence under the law. Legal action will be taken accordingly."
