An adult film star couple, who had been living in Bandarban town this month under the guise of fruit traders, has been detained.
On Sunday at 3:30am, the couple was detained from a rented house owned by Abul Kalam Sentu in the Rowangchhari Bus Station area of Bandarban Municipality.
They were detained on charges of producing and distributing pornographic videos.
The detained individuals are identified as Md Azim, 28, son of Abul Kalam from Barum Chhara area of Anwara in Chittagong district, and his wife Nadia, 32.
According to sources, the couple had been recording, editing, and uploading videos from Bangladesh for a long time, earning a significant amount of money through these activities. After the issue was reported in a news outlet, they moved to Bandarban, rented a house under a false identity, and continued their operations.
Authorities stated that the couple not only engaged in illegal activities themselves but also encouraged others to join in, establishing a network to produce and distribute pornographic content from within the country.
Under the Pornography Control Act 2012 of Bangladesh, producing and distributing pornography is a criminal offecse. The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit later conducted a special operation to detain the couple.
Repeated attempts to contact the house owner, Abul Kalam Sentu, were unsuccessful as he did not receive phone calls.
Saurav, the building manager, said that on October 13, the couple rented a room on the fifth floor of the building for Tk10,000, identifying themselves as fruit traders. He added that all formal procedures, including ID verification, were followed during the rental process.
“They used to leave the house wearing helmets. We had no idea they were involved in such a big crime. Another woman also lived with them,” Saurav said.
Bandarban Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Masud Parvez stated that the couple was detained during a raid on allegations related to pornography on messaging and Telegram groups. They were sent to Chittagong Jail at night.
On August 25, Md Azim was detained by Anwara police in a drug-related case. He was later released on bail.