AI Video Falsely Shows Handcuffed Defendant Being Attacked
A six-second video circulating on social media shows a handcuffed defendant being struck with a stick in a court compound, as three police officers stand nearby. The caption claims the footage depicts a mob attack on a court premises in Bangladesh. But fact-check by Dismislab found the video is not real; it was created using artificial intelligence (AI). The video was generated with an AI prompt based on a published newspaper photo of murder suspect Junel Mia being brought to court in Moulvibazar.
On Facebook, several users (1, 2, 3, 4) recently shared the video, alleging it showed a mob attack inside a Bangladeshi court compound. One caption read: “Whether this nation has ever seen such a vile justice system and inhumane mob before, we do not know. If we cannot find safety even in court premises because of mob violence, then where is our security, where can we feel safe…😭😭” A profile under the name “Bangladesh Chhatra League” also shared the same claim. The video has so far been viewed more than 686,000 times, shared over 1,200 times, and received more than 700 reactions.
Analysis of the video shows a logo and text at the lower right corner, reading “Minimax. Hailuo AI.” This confirms the clip was created using prompts on Minimax-Hailuo, a generative AI platform.
Minimax AI is a Shanghai-based artificial intelligence company. Hailuo AI is its text-to-video model, which allows users to generate realistic videos by using appropriate prompts.
In the six-second video, a man approaches from behind and strikes the handcuffed figure standing in the middle. The moment he is hit, the man collapses. As two police officers standing on either side turn around, their faces appear blurred and distorted. This facial blurriness indicates that the video was produced using AI technology.
Keyframes from the video matched exactly with a photo published by the daily Samakal in June. The photo shows the same handcuffed man, identified as Junel Mia from Kulaura in Moulvibazar, who was accused in the rape and murder of a schoolgirl. The report noted that following his arrest, he confessed to the crime during police interrogation. The image of his court appearance was published in multiple newspapers (1, 2, 3).
In other words, the video being circulated on social media as evidence of a real event is actually AI-generated. It was created using Minimax-Hailuo’s generative AI model, based on the courtroom photo of a rape and murder suspect Junel Mia.
Disclaimer: The original version of this fact-check report was published in Bengali on Dismislab’s Bengali website on July 7, 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.
