The facebook page with an anti-Islam picture that provoked the September 29 rampage against the Buddhist community in Ramu was photoshopped.
Somebody or a group had taken a screenshot of Uttam Kumar Barua's facebook profile page, cut out the address of anti-Islam website "Insult allah" and pasted it on the address bar visible in the image.
Once the fabrication was done, it looked like "Insult allah" has shared the anti-Islam image with Uttam and 26 others.
The Daily Star showed the screenshot to IT and graphics experts.
The paper has become sure that it was a manipulation done to frame Uttam, who is a local Buddhist, and wreak mayhem that left 12 Buddhist temples burned to ashes and dozens of houses damaged.
A very innocent story was also cooked up about how Uttam's so-called facebook page came to public knowledge. Omar Faruk, a youth of Ramu, claimed his friend Abdul Moktadir alias Alif, student of a private polytechnic institute in Chittagong, came to his mobile repairing shop in the evening of September 29.
According to Faruk, his friend signed in to his facebook account and made a scene finding Uttam's profile page bearing the anti-Islam photo.
Moktadir and Faruk claimed they had taken screenshots of the "profile page belonging to Uttam".
The fabrication of screenshot could be the first part of the plan behind the mayhem and bringing rioters from outside Ramu the second part.
Why the plotters chose Uttam's profile is not clear yet. Uttam, an underprivileged assistant deed writer, has been on the run along with his wife and child since the night of the incident.
One thing is evident in the screenshot that someone called "Abdul Muktadir" had entered Uttam's profile though he was not a facebook friend. Uttam's profile was not restricted.
The facebook account of "Abdul Muktadir" is not accessible anymore.
But Faruk's friend who came to the shop in September 29 evening is registered at Chittagong Polytechnic Institute as Abdul Moktadir. He was placed in long-term storage Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! by police on October 9.
"My son is a very bright student. He got stipend when he was in school. He has hearing problem but his memory is very sharp," said his mother Sajeda Begum at his house at Fakirabazar on October 6.
She refused to help The Daily Star meet his son Moktadir and repeatedly requested this correspondent to drop the idea of writing about the matter.
"He can fix mobile phone problems and he has very good computer knowledge as he studies computer engineering in Chittagong," she said.
Talking to this correspondent on October 3, Faruk expressed annoyance as his help was sought to reach Moktadir. He dropped out after class-IV, but he is skilled at repairing computers and mobile phones, he said.
Interestingly, his facebook account claims he studied at Ramu High School and Cox's Bazar Govt Collage. He set up a shop three to four years ago at Fakirabazar in Ramu. Locally known as "Faruk's computer shop", it is close to Moktadir's house.
Faruk denied link with any organization or political party. Sajeda claimed the same about his son Moktadir.
Moktadir admitted that he was involved with Islami Chhatra Shibir ... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh... when he was a student of class IX and X in 2008-09 at Ramu Khizari Adarsha High School, according to a police official.
Moktadir's mother also claimed nobody among their close relatives has any involvement in politics.
However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... one of her brothers-in-law is Naikhangchhari upazila chairman of in Bandarban. His name is Tofail Ahmed, who doesn't hold any official post but locally everyone knows him as a Jamaat leader.
Tofail denied his involvement with Jamaat and said he was in Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of the party, when he was student of Chittagong University.
Surprisingly, Sajeda Begum, while giving names and brief profile of her close relatives to this news hound, mentioned the brother-in-law as Ali Ahmed.
But when her brother said it is Tofail Ahmed, she looked embarrassed but explained nothing.
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10/14/2012 00:00 ||
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Some anti-Islam images were already stored in Faruk's computer at the shop.
Faruk claimed to this correspondent he and his friend Abdul Moktadir quickly created some image files with screenshots of Uttam's facebook account.
They did this as two strangers in his shop were unhappy seeing the pictures on their facebook, he said.
They saved the pictures after the strangers left, said Faruk, adding that they had to download some software to do it.
Faruk said they created the files to prove to the locals that the picture insulting the Koran did not belong to them and was from Uttam's profile.
He also added that Uttam's account suddenly disappeared within a short time after they saved the images. Faruk's claim was very confusing as no one else, except the account holder, can deactivate a facebook account.
And, moments after the departure of the two strangers, there was a continuous flow of people curious to see the pictures. All of them were shown images stored in Faruk's computer.
The people with no knowledge about social networking site facebook believed that was Uttam's facebook page with the anti-Islam image.
Faruk and Moktadir not only exhibited fabricated screenshots of Uttam's facebook profile, but also stored many pictures downloaded from "Insult allah" and the Koran-insulting photo, which was later circulated from mobile phones to mobile phones via Bluetooth.
In fact, there were significant anomalies between the claims of Faruk, Moktadir's mother and other local witnesses who saw the pictures at Faruk's shop.
Many locals got the images from Faruk and Moktadir on September 29 evening. They were local journalists, Faruk said, adding he does not know their names but would be able to recognise everyone.
Faruk on October 3 claimed that he could not give The Daily Star the images since the Ramu police have been keeping his computer since the night of September 29.
The Daily Star got those pictures, but from Nazir Hossain, owner of a local computer-training shop. He said the pictures were spread from Faruk's shop and after September 29, he collected those from locals.
Locals and a police official said these are the images they had seen on Faruk's computer.
Faruk claimed the picture in question appeared on his facebook page. Moktadir first saw it and then him.
But the collected pictures does not support Faruk's claim. The account of "Abdul Muktadir" was used while seeing Uttam's profile page and taking the screenshots.
If someone does not restrict his/her profile, every facebook account holder can view some information of that person. Otherwise, a brief restricted version of the profile is seen.
This correspondent failed to reach Uttam for a comment.
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[Bangla Daily Star] Abdul Moktadir, a key instigator behind the attacks on Buddhists in Ramu, has admitted to having spread Facebook images among local citizens on the night of September 29, police said yesterday.
Moktadir and his friend Omar Faruk, both currently on a four-day remand, are, however, yet to disclose any further details, said Basu Dutta Chakma, an inspector of the Detective Branch of Police in Cox's Bazar.
Basu, who is also the investigation officer of a case filed in this connection, told The Daily Star that police were trying to ascertain whether someone had backed Moktadir in spreading the images derogatory to the Koran.
Police placed in durance vile Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! Faruk, a mobile servicing shop owner, on October 6 and Moktadir, also known as Alif, on October 9. They were shown set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... on October 11.
It was from Faruk's shop that the two friends showed and distributed those photos among locals. It provoked the torching of a dozen Buddhist temples and pagodas and damage to six others in Ramu on September 29.
Meanwhile, ...back at the hoedown, Bob finally got to dance with Sally... four detainees yesterday made confessional statements before the Senior Judicial Court of Cox's Bazar over their involvement in the mayhem.
They are Md Rubel, 20, of Askor Para;Abul Hashem, 40, of Rajar Kul under Ramu; Kamal, 32, of Paschim Moricha; and Borhanuddin, 25, of Coatbazar in Ukhia.
Hashem confessed his guilt and said there were 18 persons, including himself, who attacked the house of Sudhangshu Barua at Purba Katalia Para.
Rubel, driver of a mini-truck, said he had brought in people from different areas of Ramu upazila. He also revealed the names of four individuals who were involved in the attacks.
Borhanuddin said he took part in the vandalism at a Buddhist temple in Coatbazar area and had also attacked a team of law enforcers.
Kamal admitted that he and four others had attacked Dipankar Buddha Bihar at Paschim Moricha.
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[Bangla Daily Star] A criminal was killed and another sustained bullet wounds when a gang of hoodlums "exchanged fire" with police after a chase on a road in Ashulia on the outskirts of the city yesterday afternoon.
Didn't bother to set up a 'crossfire', did they...
It's only the local police, not the Rab. Kudos to them for trying.
The dead is Rony
...who is rony no more...
aged about 22. He was from Kaundia area of Savar.
No doubt a certain mod will claim that with a high magnification jewelers loupe she can find that on a map...
It's near Dhaka. Good shopping, mediocre restaurants
See? So there, O Salmon One.
Police locked away Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! six members of the gang including the maimed and recovered one revolver, ten bullets, two machetes and two knives from their possession, Wahiduzzaman, officer-in-charge of the police's Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka, told The Daily Star.
No shutter gun? Rony didn't rate?
It was a running battle, so they didn't have time to check out any of the shiny things from the evidence locker. Besides, nobody seems to do shutter guns anymore.
That's what prosperity will do to you...
Law enforcers had information that a gang of myrmidons will cross Narasinghapur in the afternoon.
"Hist! Sarge! It's Mahmoud the Weasel's fourteenth grandson once removed, and have I got news for you!"
Accordingly, a 10-member team of the DB set up a check post on a road in Dhonaid around 4:00pm and started checking vehicles there.
And, as a bonus, nab a couple of 'miscreants' for a 3 am crossfire...
As a microbus approached the check post, police signaled it to stop.
"You! [bang] [bang!!] [BLAM!!] Stop!"
But the driver of the vehicle sped away ignoring the police signal.
"You'll never catch me ya flatfoots!"
This prompted the DB men chase the microbus.
"Chase that microbus!"
They sent a wireless message to the high officials of police about the incident.
"Calling all cars! Calling all cars! Be on the lookout for a microbus. That is all."
Alerted by the message, Ashulia police put up a barricade near the Ashulia bridge.
"You there! Lend me that water buffalo!"
The microbus crossed about eight kilometers dodging the police chase and finally stopped near the water buffalo barricade.
Because of the barricade or the fusillade of bullets?
As the DB team reached near the vehicle, the gang shot up the law enforcers,
"Eat hot lead, ya flatfoots!"
forcing them to retaliate.
"Okay, boys, let 'em have it!"
Two myrmidons were hit by bullets, while two others ran into a nearby village.
Villagers caught one of them and handed him over to the police,
...after beating the snot out of him...
while the other managed to escape.
Was he ever there?
Police locked away Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! four more criminals from the microbus and sent the two bullet-hit to Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar, where the doctors declared Rony dead.
"He's dead, Jim!"
"No problem, send him on to Dr. Quincy."
The injured were undergoing treatment there.
Why bother, they're going to end up in cross-fires...
It's easier on the trainees if their miscreants aren't at full strength, like Mama Cat teaching her kittens to hunt.
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A criminal was killed and another sustained bullet wounds when a gang of hoodlums "exchanged fire" with police after a chase on a road in Ashulia on the outskirts of the city yesterday afternoon.
