Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB), Cyber and Special Crime (South) Division, has arrested pornographic content creator and Instagram influencer Sumaiya Saeed over allegations of producing, promoting and selling adult pornographic content through social media and Telegram groups.
On Tuesday (August 18), police sought a three-day remand for Sumaiya Saeed. Following a hearing, the court permitted investigators to question her for one day at the jail gate.
Earlier, on the night of August 11, DB’s cyber police arrested 25-year-old Sumaiya during a raid at an apartment in the Bashundhara Residential Area of the capital. Based on information allegedly provided by her, police later arrested her alleged key associate, Khaja Saklain Faruk, from Dhaka Popular Travels in Badda.
According to documents filed in the case, Sumaiya’s Instagram and Telegram accounts came under scrutiny during cyber monitoring on August 10, when investigators allegedly found explicit content and advertisements offering such content for sale. The case documents include details of several of her social media accounts, Telegram groups and packages allegedly offered for purchase.
Police allege that the content was supplied to customers in exchange for money. The case documents reportedly mention different prices for “lifetime packages,” videos and other content. Investigators allege that payments were received through mobile financial services such as bKash and Nagad, after which the content was delivered through Telegram and other online platforms.
The documents further state that investigators traced Sumaiya’s location using technology and conducted a raid at an apartment in Bashundhara Residential Area. During the operation, police seized several devices, including an iPhone 17 Pro Max and a OnePlus smartphone. Details of the mobile phones and other related devices are also included in the seizure list attached to the case.
According to police, Sumaiya allegedly disclosed during preliminary questioning that she had been operating the online activity with several associates. Investigators are now attempting to identify and arrest those allegedly involved in the network.
Sumaiya’s father, Md Abu Saeed, has also been named as an accused in the case. Police allege that he was aware of his daughter’s alleged income from the activities and received money from it. However, the case documents do not clearly indicate whether he has been arrested.
The case file also contains information on various social media accounts, Telegram groups and communication channels allegedly linked to the distribution and sale of pornographic content. Screenshots from social media platforms and images of various pieces of content have reportedly been included as evidence.
A case has been filed with Ramna Model Police Station under relevant provisions of the Pornography Control Act, 2012.
Investigators said they are examining the alleged network to determine who else may be involved, how the content was collected and distributed, and the scale of the financial transactions associated with the operation.
Police are also analyzing the mobile phones and other digital evidence seized from the two arrested individuals as part of the investigation. Investigators said the digital evidence will be used to identify other individuals allegedly connected to the online network.
