AI‑generated image of Sitakunda child victim shared online as photos of two different children

A photo has been posted on Facebook with the claim: “These are two different children. Where is the child of the man who was arrested for child abuse???” However, a fact-check shows that the image in the post was created using artificial intelligence. News outlets Channel i and Bangla daily Kaler Kantho used the same AI-generated image in their reports, labeling it as “collected.”

An AI‑generated picture based on CCTV footage from Chattogram’s Ecopark, where a young girl was found stabbed in the neck on March 1, has spread on social media. The image is being reshared with the misleading claim that it shows a completely different child. Multiple AI‑detection tools indicate a high probability that the viral image is artificially generated.

The claim has spread through a Facebook post that reads: “Two different children. Where is the child with the man who was arrested for child abuse? And where is the criminal who harmed the child that was found dead? Does anyone know?” The post includes four images—two of a child, and two showing the suspect holding the child’s hand.

Verification shows that the first and fourth images in the post were created using CCTV footage from Sitakunda, where the child was killed amid a family dispute. Dismislab examined the original footage, which appears in video reports from multiple outlets (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). The CCTV shows the child walking hand‑in‑hand with the accused, Babu Sheikh, also known as Mahbub Alam, toward the Sitakunda Botanical Garden and Ecopark around 10:30 a.m. on March 1. The child is seen holding an object in her other hand.

There are clear discrepancies between the AI‑generated image and the CCTV footage. In the real footage, the child is wearing a short‑sleeved shirt; the AI image shows her in long sleeves. The child’s facial features and hair are also noticeably different.

Several news outlets (1, 2, 3, 4) have used the actual CCTV stills in their reporting. A March 3 report by The Business Standard captions the image as: “Babu Sheikh, also known as Mahbub Alam, seen holding the child’s hand on CCTV as they walk into the Sitakunda Botanical Garden and Ecopark.” Another AI‑generated version of the same scene appears in a separate Facebook post.

Tracing the origin of the AI image, Dismislab found it in a March 3 post on Channel i’s verified Facebook page, which also published a report using the AI‑generated picture labeled as “collected.” The daily Kaler Kantho published the same image on March 4 with the caption: “Accused Babu Sheikh leading the child by the hand. Photo: Collected.” The image also appeared in reports by Daily 100 Shobdo and Daily Purbokone, though without captions.

AI‑detection tools Hive Moderation and AI or Not determined a strong likelihood that the image was generated artificially. Hive Moderation assessed an 83 percent probability of AI creation, while AI or Not placed that probability at 90 percent.

In reality, the photo spreading online as “two different children” is an AI‑generated version of the Sitakunda victim’s CCTV image.

On March 1, the young girl was found severely injured in the remote hilly area of the Sitakunda Botanical Garden and Ecopark. She was first taken to Sitakunda Upazila Health Complex, then transferred to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where surgeons performed emergency neck surgery. She died at dawn on March 3 while receiving treatment at the One‑Stop Crisis Centre. Based on CCTV footage, police arrested Babu Sheikh in connection with the murder.