Old visuals of a Bangladeshi woman’s molestation in Bangalore falsely linked to ongoing Bangladesh protests
Amid the ongoing protests in Bangladesh, a disturbing photo of a woman being molested is going viral with claims that the photo shows a Hindu woman raped in Bangladesh as part of the current unrest (here & here). This article aims to fact-check the validity of these claims.
Claim: Image showing a Hindu woman being molested amid the ongoing protests in Bangladesh.
Fact: These visuals pertain to an incident from 2021 in which a Bangladeshi woman was molested in Bangalore by a group of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Meanwhile, there are reports about multiple attacks on Hindus during the ongoing protests in Bangladesh. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Bangladesh has been witnessing deadly protests that began in July 2024 as an anti-quota movement. Recently, these mass protests have evolved into a major anti-government uprising. The situation escalated when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country. Protesters forcefully entered her official residence in Dhaka, looting and vandalizing the premises.
Reports indicate that mobs have attacked the homes and businesses of minorities, particularly Hindus, looting their valuables (here). There are also reports of Hindu homes and temples being vandalized and set on fire. Additionally, some unverified claims suggest that protesters are kidnapping women (here).
Viral images are reported in India:
In this context, the currently viral photo is linked to the ongoing protests in Bangladesh. However, the photo is not related to these protests but is from an incident in Bangalore in 2021.
Earlier in 2021, a video depicting the molestation of a Bangladeshi woman by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants went viral on social media. The viral photo is part of the same video. A reverse image search revealed news reports from 2021 featuring these visuals, which are related to an incident involving illegal Bangladeshi men molesting a Bangladeshi woman (here).
The incident took place in the first week of May 2021 in Ramamurthy Nagar, East Bengaluru. Police arrested 12 Bangladeshi nationals, including three women, in connection with the assault and rape of a 22-year-old woman. According to this report, the accused were identified as Shobuj Sheik, Rafiq, Ridoy Babu, Rakibul Islam Sagar, Mohammed Babu Shaik, Hakil, Ajim, Jamal, Dalim, Nasrath, Kajal, and Tanya. Ridoy Babu was also a well-known TikToker from Bangladesh and was involved in trafficking women (here & here).
The Bengaluru Police Commissioner clarified that of the 12 individuals arrested, 11 are Bangladeshi nationals, including the survivor. These details confirm that the viral photo is not related to the ongoing protests in Bangladesh.
To sum up, old visuals of a Bangladeshi woman being molested in Bangalore are being shared falsely linking them to the ongoing protests in Bangladesh.