Incident of sacks of money being recovered is not from any adviser’s residence

After the interim government stepped down, a video spread on social media claiming that sacks of money were found at the residence of an outgoing adviser. Upon verification, it was found that the video of the money recovery is old and has no connection with any adviser.

The interim government stepped down on 17 February following the formation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government. As a result, the advisers’ tenure ended.

Five days later, the video was posted from a personal Facebook profile. The caption read, “Sacks of money found at adviser’s residence.” The video shows a joint force recovering money, mobile phones, and watches from a house. The same video was later circulated from multiple pages and profiles.

Taking keyframes from different parts of the video and conducting a reverse image search led to a video published on the SA TV YouTube channel on 4 November 2024. Its title was, “Millions of taka recovered from secretary’s residence in army operation.”

From that source, it was learned that the footage was from a 2024 operation at the residence of Mohammad Amzad Hossain Khan, former additional secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development and Cooperatives, after the Awami League was ousted from power.

A report published in Prothom Alo on 5 November 2024 stated that 10.95 million taka, foreign currency, 11 iPhones, and valuable watches were recovered from Mohammad Amzad Hossain Khan’s residence in Uttara, Dhaka. The joint force also arrested him.

Comparing the earlier video with the one now being circulated shows an exact match in the arrested person’s appearance, the seized money, mobile phones, and watches. That means an old video from a different incident is being recirculated to create confusion.

A video of vandalism of a CNG-run auto-rickshaw has spread widely on Facebook, claiming that the vandalism was carried out because extortion money was not paid. However, verification shows that it has no connection with extortion. An angry passenger carried out the vandalism.

The video was posted on 18 February from a page named “Banglar Rajniti.” It has been viewed more than 1.6 million times so far. Various pages and profiles have shared the video claiming that a BNP leader carried out the incident because extortion money was not paid.

Verification reveals that the incident took place in Narsingdi. The video was found on 16 February on a page named “Daily Narsingdi News.” The caption there reads, “After a passenger was made to get off a CNG in Itakhola, that passenger later came to the Shibpur Barigaon C&B bus stand and vandalised the CNG.”

Prothom Alo’s Narsingdi correspondent spoke with shop employees at the scene and local residents, who said that there had been an argument over fare between an auto-rickshaw driver and a passenger. The driver then asked the passenger to get off. Angered by this, the passenger searched for the auto-rickshaw and broke the front glass of another auto-rickshaw.

Shibpur Model police station officer-in-charge (OC) Kohinoor Mia confirmed the same information. He said the person who carried out the vandalism is an engineer and has no connection with BNP. The matter was later settled on the condition that compensation would be paid to the auto-rickshaw driver.

Several instances have been identified in verification where enticing Facebook posts about the new government’s proposed Family Card are directing users to gambling websites. Multiple pages titled “Application for Family Card” are posting messages such as, “Apply for the Family Card today and receive an Eid bonus of 5000.” Such photo cards state, “Application link in the comment.”

Verification shows that the links provided in the comments are not links to any government website. Instead, clicking the links opens online betting or gambling websites. Under Bangladeshi law, gambling is prohibited, whether directly or online.

Although the government has decided to introduce the Family Card to provide direct financial assistance to low-income people, the application process has not yet begun.

Fraud is also being carried out by creating fake websites resembling Prothom Alo in connection with this government initiative. After the matter came to attention, the Prothom Alo authorities urged everyone not to be misled by such confusion.