Framed online with AI image, jailed offline: Who arrested JCD leader Shawkat on what ground

Two months before his dramatic arrest, Shawkat Ali had already knocked on the doors of the police warning that his photos were being digitally manipulated and circulated on social media to frame him.

Yet, despite that written complaint, he was arrested.

New information has now surfaced surrounding the January 7 arrest of Shawkat Ali, a Chhatra Dal leader from Rangunia in Chattogram, raising serious questions about the role of edited images, delayed cyber investigation, and the basis of law enforcement action.

GD filed before arrest

According to police records, Shawkat Ali filed a general diary (GD) with Rangunia Police Station on November 12, alleging that his old photos were being edited using AI technology and spread from multiple fake Facebook IDs, falsely showing him holding weapons.

The GD named the suspected fake accounts, and Sub-Inspector Mohammad Mahfuzar Rahman was assigned to investigate the matter. The SI later confirmed that the issue had been referred to the Cyber Crime Department, but no report had been received as of yet.

“Action will be taken once the cyber report arrives. The arrest is a matter for the joint forces,” the SI said.

Arrest despite pending investigation

On January 7, Shawkat Ali was arrested in a joint operation by a task force linked to the army’s 34 Engineer Construction Brigade in Rangunia’s Chandraghona Kadamtali area. 

At a press conference later that day, law enforcement claimed that Shawkat’s photos with “illegal weapon” had gone viral and that he had allegedly created panic and extorted money.

Several photos showing Shawkat holding weapons were also attached to the press release and subsequently published by multiple media outlets.

However, Shawkat was sent to court that same night as a suspect under Section 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Police later admitted that no weapons or illegal items were recovered from him, and no specific case was filed at the time of arrest.

He was granted bail by the court last Monday.

Fact-check contradicts official narrative

Meanwhile, Dhaka-based digital investigative outlet The Descent has verified that the two images showing Shawkat Ali holding weapons were digitally altered.

According to their fact-check:

One image was originally posted by Shawkat himself on August 5, 2024, without any weapon.

Another image from September 14 was also weapon-free in its original form.

In both cases, weapons were later added using digital manipulation and circulated online.

Shawkat told The Descent that at least 10 fake Facebook IDs were used to spread the edited images.

“These pictures were created using AI to frame me,” he said.

Shawkat’s claim: ‘My crime was speaking out’

Speaking to the media on Wednesday around 1 pm, Shawkat Ali said he lives abroad and returned to Bangladesh after Eid-ul-Azha last year.

“I support a political party, but I have no enmity with any party,” he said. “For the last few months, I’ve been targeted because I protested against illegal sand extraction, extortion, and sand truck traffic causing suffering to locals.”

He also mentioned a local dispute over sand trucks entering a narrow road near his house, which led to a minor clash and a case that is currently under court proceedings for bail.

“My only crime is that I spoke out,” Shawkat said. “I informed the police and the army camp in advance about the fake photos. Still, I was arrested.”

Conflicting claims from law enforcement

Rangunia Police Station OC Md Arman Hossain admitted that there was no specific case against Shawkat at the time of arrest.

“Since the joint forces provided negative information, there was suspicion. That’s why he was produced before the court as a suspect under Section 54,” he told The Descent.

However, law enforcement agencies earlier claimed that Shawkat had multiple cases, including murder cases, against him – claims that have not been substantiated with case details in court records so far.

When asked about the allegation of edited photos, Major Tanvir Mehedi of the 34 Engineer Construction Brigade told vernacular daily Prothom Alo, “How can you prove that the photo is edited? We had information that he had brandished weapons. There were specific allegations.”

Unanswered questions remain

Why was Shawkat arrested when his GD on fake photos was still under investigation?

Why were edited images attached to an official press release?

And how did suspicion override the absence of evidence?

As the cybercrime report remains pending, the Shawkat Ali case now stands as a stark example of how digital manipulation, social media virality, and delayed verification can converge – with life-altering consequences.

The questions, for now, remain louder than the answers.