BUET student’s face-grabbing photo not made with AI
On August 27, 2025, police clashed with students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) who had taken to the streets with three demands. During the clash, a photo of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Ramna Zone Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam spread on social media, showing him grabbing the face of a student. Amid public outcry, DMP on its verified Facebook page and online news portal claimed (1, 2) that the image was created using artificial intelligence (AI). But Dismislab’s verification shows the photo is real and was captured on camera. Multiple photographers took the picture from different angles at the time. Two photographers present at the scene as well as the metadata of the photos also confirmed that the photo was real.
After the photo spread, DMP wrote on its online news portal: “Recently, a photo has been published in various media and social networking sites, created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, showing Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner Md. Masud Alam grabbing the face of a student, which has come to the attention of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.”
It further said, “Someone deliberately created the photo in an attempt to spread unnecessary confusion among the public. Upon close observation, it is clear that it was created using AI technology and is devoid of reality.”
But the inconsistencies usually found in AI-generated photos were not present. A primary naked-eye observation of the photo showed no suspicious inconsistencies in the characters’ fingers, eyes, faces, body structures, skin folds, hair patterns, or other visible elements. Reflections in the water on the road were also visible. In addition, the design, color, and logo of the clothing, along with the shoes, matched those of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
Further verification found that photographer Joyeeta Roy had posted a photo of the same incident on her Facebook profile at 1:06 a.m. on Aug. 27. Her own name was mentioned in the credit line. The middle portion of that photo matched exactly with the one claimed by DMP to have been created by AI. Meanwhile, The Business Standard said in a post on its verified Facebook page that the photo was taken by its own photographer, Rajib Dhar.
To confirm, Dismislab contacted both photographers. According to them, both were eyewitnesses and took photographs of the incident. Later, Dismislab verified the metadata of the original photo sent by Joyeeta Roy. It showed the picture had been taken at 2:50 p.m. on Aug. 27 with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV device. Detailed information about the camera settings at the time was also found in the metadata, consistent with the original photo.
The Business Standard also later published a report highlighting the metadata of the photo taken by Rajib Dhar. It too said the photo was taken at 2:50 p.m. on Aug. 27. The timing of both photographers’ images matched exactly.
In addition, an analysis of two videos (1, 2) broadcast on ATN Bangla’s YouTube channel and Facebook page on Aug. 27 showed consistency between the scene in the photo and the context of the incident.
In other words, the photo that Dhaka Metropolitan Police claimed was created with artificial intelligence was in fact a real image captured by photographers’ cameras.
Disclaimer: The original version of this fact-check report was published in Bengali on Dismislab’s Bengali website on August 29, 2025. The English translation was completed later; however, to maintain time accuracy and avoid any potential misinterpretation, the English version has been published with the original publication date.
