A Dhaka court on Tuesday remanded two individuals for two days and sent eight others to jail in connection with a case involving the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and “deepfake” technology to impersonate Mizanur Rahman Azhari to sell sexual stimulant products.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Awlad Hossain Mohammad Junaid passed the order following a hearing. The remanded suspects have been identified as Md Sarafat Hossain, 24 and Md Shafayet Hossain Shuvo, 21.
The court rejected the bail and remand pleas for the remaining eight suspects, ordering them to be sent to prison.
They are Shahadat Towfiq, 21, Md Imam Hossain Bijoy, 21, Md Rafiqul Hasan, 21, Minhajur Rahman Shahed, 19, Towki Tajwar Ilham, 21, Omid Hasan, 21, Md Abdullah Fahim, 21, and Md Imran, 24.
The case was initiated under the Cyber Security Act at Paltan Model Police Station on 23 April by complainant Bilal Hossain.
Following the filing, a joint team from Paltan Model Police Station of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Bayezid Bostami Police Station of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) conducted a raid in the Shershah Colony area of Chittagong on 24 April, arresting the 10 suspects.
Although the suspects hail from various districts, they operated the scam from a rented flat in Chittagong.
According to the case details, the gang used AI and deepfake technology to mimic the face and voice of Azhari, creating fraudulent videos to promote a sexual stimulant drug called “Eurocin”.
Relying on the orator’s perceived endorsement, unsuspecting customers ordered the products.
The syndicate operated more than 24 fraudulent Facebook pages and websites, including “Azhari Shop”, “Doctor Seba”, and “Halal Shop”.
The goods were delivered via Pathao and Steadfast courier services on a cash-on-delivery basis, allowing the group to embezzle large sums of money.
During the hearing, the Investigation Officer (IO) Sub-Inspector Samim Hasan of Paltan Police Station, argued for a 10-day remand, stating that the group had been defrauding people both domestically and internationally.
He noted that fake medicines were recovered from Mohammadpur area based on their information and that the website hosting and domains used were not registered in Bangladesh. The IO added that the fraudulent digital pages remained active even eight hours before the hearing.
In response, defence lawyers Mosleh Uddin Jasim and Sharif Ahmed sought bail, arguing that the suspects were poor students acting as mere “labourers” who only followed orders and were not the owners of the enterprise.
Presiding over the matter, the judge remarked on the dangerous nature of the medicines, noting that while they might provide temporary effects, they pose severe long-term health risks to the human body.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Md Mamun Hossain of DMP Prosecution Division confirmed the court’s proceedings.
