Doxing campaign targets alleged interfaith couples in Bangladesh, study reveals

A recent study by Dismislab has illuminated how a coordinated online campaign in Bangladesh has leaked the private information of individuals accused of interfaith relationships, resulting in threats, harassment, and blackmail for some victims. Published on October 31, the report analyzed content spanning from June 1 to August 31, 2026, and identified 288 posts originating from 23 distinct Facebook pages. These entries promoted a conspiracy theory called the Bhagwa Love Trap while revealing names, residential addresses, phone numbers, photographs, and social media links of people alleged to be dating Muslim women and Hindu men. The underlying narrative claims that Hindu men intentionally pursue Muslim women to coerce them into converting to Hinduism. This theory mirrors the controversial Love Jihad accusation found in India, which alleges that Muslim men seek to convert Hindu women through romantic entanglements. Researchers determined that these baseless claims are currently used in Bangladesh to publicly shame and expose specific individuals. The practice of unauthorized information disclosure, or doxing, leaves targets vulnerable to real-world intimidation and online abuse. The initial data set included 3,828 posts from 54 pages, but after filtering out duplicates, only 194 unique posts containing personal data remained. Approximately 97 percent of these posts featured photographs, while 55 percent included names and 30 percent listed addresses. Links to social media profiles appeared in 16 percent of the posts, and phone numbers were found in just 6 percent. More than half, or 53 percent, identified both a man and a woman as participants in the alleged affair, though some entries named only one person. The campaign explicitly encouraged readers to track down the physical locations of the accused, raising fears of physical intimidation. While researchers could not independently verify every photo or claim presented, the impact on victims is documented through direct accounts. One woman, who chose to go by the pseudonym Fatema, revealed that her home address, phone number, and photo were shared alongside rumors about her private life. She stated that she now lives like a thief, fearing for her safety and that of her family. When researchers called 12 numbers from the posts, two individuals denied any connection to the allegations, while others described the severe disruption they faced. Affected people reported receiving threats, unwanted attention, and blackmail, forcing some to alter their daily routines or interrupt their studies due to safety concerns and stigma. One man noted that the exposure ruined his professional and family life, while another became terrified even by ordinary phone calls. The campaign’s reach was concentrated on a small number of pages, with five accounts responsible for roughly two-thirds of the 288 posts. As of September 23, 2026, these posts had generated a combined 109,815 reactions, comments, and shares. A single page named Mollar Alo alone accounted for over 38,000 interactions across 20 posts, representing about one-third of the total engagement recorded in the investigation. The study also noted the existence of a separate website called Save that appeared in the context of the campaign.