Bangabhaban Official in Police Custody For Alleged Hack of Jamaat Chief's Social Media
DHAKA – The Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police is currently interrogating an assistant programmer from the President’s Office (Bangabhaban) in connection with the alleged hacking of the X (formerly Twitter) account belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman.
Despite being in custody for over 19 hours, authorities have yet to reach a final decision regarding the official, identified as Mohammad Sarowar Alam.
The Arrest and Investigation
Sarowar Alam was detained late Tuesday night (February 3, 2026) at approximately 12:30 AM from his government quarters near the Rajarbagh Police Lines. During the operation, DB officers seized his laptop and mobile phone for forensic analysis.
DMP DB Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam told the press on Wednesday evening:
"No decision has been made regarding him as of yet. He remains in our custody, and we will provide updates once the interrogation and initial investigation are complete."
The Hacking Allegations
The controversy began last Saturday when a highly provocative post appeared on Dr. Shafiqur Rahman's verified X handle. The post claimed that pushing women out of their homes in the name of "modernity" leads to moral decay and described it as a "form of prostitution."
Jamaat-e-Islami’s Response:
Cyberattack Claim: The party immediately distanced itself from the post, claiming a "sophisticated cyberattack" had compromised the accounts of several senior leaders.
The "Government Link": During a technical presentation on Sunday, Jamaat's IT cell alleged that a phishing email containing malware was sent to the party's official email from an address associated with Bangabhaban:
assistantprogrammer@bangabhaban.gov.bd.Legal Action: The party filed a General Diary (GD) at Hatirjheel Police Station and pressured authorities to investigate the state-owned email's involvement.
Internal DB Findings
A DB official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that preliminary digital footprints suggest Sarowar Alam’s official email account might have been compromised prior to the incident. If the email was already hacked, it could mean Alam was not the primary perpetrator but a secondary victim of the same cyber conspiracy.
Political Fallout and Skepticism
The incident has sparked a firestorm in the political arena, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) expressing doubts over the "hacking" narrative.
Mahdi Amin, spokesperson for the BNP’s Central Election Steering Committee, questioned the timeline of the events during a press conference. He noted that the controversial post remained active for nearly nine hours and was only labeled as "hacked" after intense public backlash and street protests.
"Is it logical to claim an ID was hacked at 1:00 AM, only after the derogatory post faced massive criticism throughout the day?" Amin asked, suggesting the hacking claim might be a strategic retreat from a controversial ideological stance.
