A 36-year-old man has been arrested in Dhaka’s Uttara on allegations of secretly recording images of a woman while she was bathing in Gaibandha and demanding Tk1.5 million by threatening to circulate the images on social media and various websites.
The man, identified as Jahangir Hasan, was arrested during a joint operation by members of SRB-13, CPC-3 Gaibandha Camp and SRB-1 on Monday, 28 September. He was later handed over to Gaibandha Sadar Police Station for further legal proceedings.
The information was confirmed in a written statement to journalists on Wednesday by Biplab Kumar Goswami, additional superintendent of police at the SRB-13 Gaibandha Camp.
Jahangir is the son of Mokhlesur Rahman of Baguria village in Gidari Union under Gaibandha Sadar Upazila.
According to the complaint filed with Gaibandha Sadar Police Station, the woman’s husband, Saiful Alam, 52, alleged that Jahangir secretly recorded images of his wife while she was bathing using a mobile phone. The complaint further alleges that some of the images were subsequently posted on Facebook.
The family reportedly asked him to remove the images, but he allegedly refused. The complaint states that Jahangir then threatened to combine the woman’s images with photographs of her husband and publish them on social media.
The alleged financial demand was made on 3 July. According to the case documents, the woman received a telephone call that afternoon in which Tk1.5 million was demanded. She was allegedly warned that failure to pay would result in the circulation of additional sexually explicit images on Facebook and other websites.
The incident led Saiful Alam to file a case under the Cyber Security Act at Gaibandha Sadar Police Station on 9 July. Following the filing of the case, investigators began working to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged recording, publication threats and demand for money. Intelligence activities were also carried out alongside the police investigation to locate the accused.
The investigation eventually led law enforcement agencies to Dhaka. A joint team conducted an operation in Uttara on 28 September and arrested Jahangir.
Biplab Kumar Goswami said Jahangir was subsequently transferred to Gaibandha Sadar Police Station on Wednesday so that the next stage of legal action could be taken.
Cases involving threats to publish private or intimate images can have serious consequences for victims, particularly when the alleged threats are used to demand money. Such incidents may also involve the preservation and examination of digital evidence, including mobile devices, communications and online activity, as investigators seek to establish what happened.
In this case, however, the allegations remain subject to the ongoing legal process. The complaint sets out the claims made by the woman’s husband, while the investigation and subsequent proceedings will determine the extent of the accused’s involvement and the circumstances surrounding the alleged demands and threats.
The arrest marks the latest development in the case, with the accused now back in the jurisdiction where the complaint was filed for further legal proceedings.
