A viral photo circulating on social media falsely claims that Sohel Rana, the accused in the Pallabi child murder case, was involved in the election campaign of Youth and Sports State Minister Aminul Haque. Investigations reveal that the photo has been digitally edited. The original festoon photo, published in a news report by 'Dhaka Mail' on December 15, 2023, shows a different festoon without Sohel Rana's picture. The viral photo's festoon appears unusually clean and pristine, lacking the natural wear and tear expected after prolonged outdoor exposure, indicating digital manipulation.
Misleading Claims and Digital Manipulation
The misleading photo has been shared by various Facebook pages and accounts supportive of the Awami League. Reverse image searches and comparisons with the original photo highlight inconsistencies, such as the unnatural clarity and smoothness of the edited festoon, confirming it was digitally altered. Additionally, a video claiming that a child rapist was lynched by a mob in Khulna has been debunked as false. The video actually shows a different incident where two individuals were shot outside a court in Khulna on November 30, 2023, with no connection to child rape. Another misleading photo claims that Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Shafiqur Rahman provided financial assistance to the victim's family, which has also been proven false through digital analysis.
