The looting of white stones in Bholaganj, Sylhet, has recently become a widely discussed topic on both social and mainstream media in Bangladesh. Following the incident, two photocards featuring the names and logos of national newspapers Prothom Alo and Kaler Kantho were circulated on Facebook. One photocard bearing the Prothom Alo name and logo claimed, “Not theft, the white stones have been washed and left to dry – Upazila Chairman.” The other, under the Kaler Kantho name and logo, stated, “Behind the white stone looting in Sylhet are a Jamaat leader and local administration. Built a 500 million taka palace.”

FactWatch investigation reveals that both photocards are fake and were not published by the mentioned media outlets. In addition, a photo claiming that several individuals had been arrested along with the stones also went viral. Investigations confirm that the image was generated using artificial intelligence.

Verification of the photocard with Prothom Alo name and logo

Fact-checking found no such photocard on Prothom Alo’s verified Facebook page. Keyword searches across news platforms yielded no such political statement concerning white stones. Furthermore, the photocard merely mentions “Upazila Chairman” without specifying their political affiliation or identity.

Later, Prothom Alo made a post from its verified Facebook page regarding the alleged photocard. In the post made on Wednesday (14 August) at 4:30 PM, Prothom Alo clarified that “the card and information circulated in our name are fake.” The card was not produced by them.

Therefore, the claim—“Not theft, the white stones have been washed and left to dry”—attributed to an Upazila Chairman and spread under Prothom Alo’s name is false.

Verification of the photocard with Kaler Kantho name and logo

The photocard stating, “Behind the white stone looting in Sylhet are a Jamaat leader and local administration. Built a 500 million taka palace,” was also verified. No such photocard or report was found on Kaler Kantho’s verified Facebook page, social media platforms, or website.

No other news outlet in the country has published any such report in connection to the white stone looting.

Additionally, the houses shown in the photocard, allegedly linked to a Jamaat leader’s palace, were traced using reverse image search to a report on a local Sylhet-based website named Notun Sylhet. The report was published on 1 February this year and contains no specific information about the ownership of the houses. According to the report, the houses belong to expatriates from Sylhet, and none of their identities were disclosed.

These findings indicate that the photocard was fabricated using images taken from the internet and falsely attributed to Kaler Kantho with added name and logo.

Verification of the photo allegedly showing arrests with white stones

A viral image claiming that several individuals were arrested with white stones contains a watermark labeled “AI” in some versions. Using several AI content detection tools, FactWatch examined the image.

All tools confirmed that the image was generated using artificial intelligence technology.

Therefore, the image circulated with claims of arrests related to white stone theft does not reflect any real incident.

FactWatch has identified the photocards bearing the names and logos of Prothom Alo and Kaler Kantho, as well as the AI-generated image associated with arrest claims in the Bholaganj white stone looting case, as false.

Source: https://www.fact-watch.org/white-stone-looting-in-bholaganj/