Arrested kabiraj falsely identified as Jamaat leader
A video was circulated on Facebook claiming that Union Jamaat Ameer Abdul Hadi has been arrested in Patuakhali on allegations of rape. However, verification reveals that the name of the arrested individual is Taizul Islam Musa. According to reports from multiple media outlets, Musa is an alleged kabiraj (traditional healer), and thus far, no report has mentioned his affiliation with any political party.
On November 5, a video was posted from a Facebook profile. Written in the post was, “Arrested Union Jamaat Ameer Abdul Hadi in Patuakhali, who r-a-p-e-s everyone from teenage girls to women under the guise of giving amulets and holy water.” In the 31-second video, a person wearing a white panjabi (traditional tunic) and cap is seen being taken away in handcuffs by the police. At the 21-second mark of the video, “Kalapara Police Station, Patuakhali” is seen written on a banner behind the accused and the police.
To verify the authenticity, conducting a reverse image search using the keyframes of the video yields a report published in the media outlet Dainik Inqilab on November 4. The image used in the report shows an exact match with the scenes of the circulated video. The translation of the report’s headline was, “Prime accused in sexual harassment allegation case arrested in Kalapara.”
The translation of the report stated, “Members of SRB-8 have arrested an alleged kabiraj named Taizul Islam Musa, 40, in Kalapara of Patuakhali on allegations of establishing a physical relationship with a teenage girl and blackmailing her after recording intimate videos on a mobile phone under the false promise of marriage in the name of kabiraji (traditional healing) treatment. He was arrested on Tuesday evening from the area adjacent to the Chourasta (crossroads) and handed over to Kalapara Police Station. Musa is the son of Razzak Molla of Dalbuganj Union under Mohipur Police Station in the upazila. Due to providing kabiraji treatment through jharphuk (traditional healing chants/incantations) for a long time, he is known in the area as Musa Huzur.”
Additionally, multiple media outlet reports (1, 2) identified the arrested individual as a kabiraj. However, none of the reports mention his political affiliation.
That is to say, the alleged kabiraj arrested in a rape case is being claimed as a Jamaat leader.
