Fact check: Viral visuals do not show Bangladeshi man, woman executed in Saudi Arabia
Several people, including Indian propaganda accounts based on their past posts, have been sharing visuals on multiple social media platforms since October 16, 2026, allegedly showing a Bangladeshi man and woman executed over an indecent act in a mosque in Makkah. However, some of the visuals are old, while others have been doctored.
A Bangladeshi man and woman were executed on October 14, 2026, after being convicted of committing an “indecent act” inside a mosque, according to the Saudi interior ministry. The ministry did not specify the nature of the offending act.
Bangladesh has reached out to the Saudi government about the offences involved and legal proceedings in the case, said state minister for foreign affairs, Shama Obaed Islam.
The Daily Star reported that the two have been in detention since August 2023 in connection with separate allegations — cybercrime and adultery.
On October 18, a local Indian news outlet, UPUK News, shared a video on X, showing a woman kissing the black stone (Hajar al-Aswad) at Makkah’s Holy Mosque while being surrounded by men.
The caption of the post reads: “Saudi Arabia executes two Bangladeshi nationals over ‘having sex’ inside Makkah mosque. Saudi Arabia has announced the execution of two Bangladeshi nationals convicted of committing what authorities described as a “sexual act” inside a mosque in the holy city of Makkah. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Saudi Ministry of Interior identified the individuals as Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar. According to the ministry, security authorities arrested the two following the incident. They were subsequently charged after an investigation and later executed, the statement said.”
The post racked up 26.8 million views.
Another user shared the same clip with the following caption: “The Saudi Ministry announced the implementation of the death penalty ta’zir against Bangladeshi citizens Nuzrul Islam Abdul Basir and Seti Akhtar, for committing an indecent act inside a mosque in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, on October 14, 2026.”
The post accumulated 7.5m views.
Another Indian user, based on its past posts, shared the same clip with the following caption: “Saudi Arabia executes two Bangladeshi nationals over ‘having sex’ inside Makkah Mosque. Saudi Arabia has announced the execution of two Bangladeshi nationals convicted of committing what authorities described as a ‘sexual act’ inside a mosque in the holy city of Makkah.”
The post gained 6.3m views.
Another Indian user shared the same clip with the following caption: “A couple from Bangladesh has been reported executed on charges of engaging in sexual activity inside a mosque in Makkah. They were identified as Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar. Saudi authorities described their offence as an ‘immoral act’ (definitely sexual) inside a mosque.”
The post gained 1.5m views.
Another Indian user shared the same video with a similar caption, accumulating 276,500 views.
Other users also shared the same video in a similar context on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, and here; collectively gaining 240,200 views.
Methodology
A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the incident.
A keyword search was conducted to verify whether any credible international, Saudi or Bangladeshi news outlets had reported the recent incident featuring the viral video, but it yielded nothing.
A reverse image search conducted to trace the source of the video yielded the same clip shared on Instagram, dated February 27, 2026, with the following caption: “This footage, recorded during the circumambulation (tawaf) of the Kaaba in Makkah, has drawn backlash. Allegations of harassment against women in this context are on the rise.”
A Turkish media outlet, Daktilock, also posted the same clip on X, dated February 28, 2026, with the following caption: “This footage, recorded during the circumambulation of the Kaaba in Makkah, has sparked widespread reaction.”
Later on, the same video was also shared on YouTube, dated August 2, 2026.
Therefore, the viral video of a woman kissing a black stone is old and unrelated to the current Bangladeshi couple incident.
Other visuals
Viral video of daughter of couple executed in Saudi Arabia
An Indian X account that appears to support the Bharatiya Janata Party, based on its past posts, shared a video on Oct 19 showing a little girl crying and throwing soil onto what appears to be a grave.
The caption in Hindi reads: “At the age of six or seven, this little girl is filling soil into the graves of both her mother and father. The crime of her mother and father was that they had kissed each other while making a reel in a mosque in Saudi Arabia.“
The post received 436,900 views.
A minute later, the account shared the same video again, with a similar caption.
The second post received 2.5m views.
Another X account shared the same footage with a Turkish caption that translates to: “A Bangladeshi couple went to Umrah for their honeymoon. A man of Pakistani nationality filmed the couple kissing in a mosque courtyard and sent the video to Saudi Arabian authorities. The couple was then arrested and sentenced to death. Saudi Arabian authorities executed Abdulbasir and Siti by beheading. Their young daughter, while throwing soil on her parents’ graves, is trying to make sense of the event.”
The post received 2.4m views.
An Indian account shared the same video, on the same day, with the caption: “A little Bangladeshi girl places soil on the graves of her mother and father following their execution in Saudi Arabia over an alleged act inside a mosque in Makkah.”
The post received 681,700 views.
A third Indian account shared the same video with the caption: “The only mistake this little girl’s parents made was creating a video at a sacred site. Yet, she is the one bearing the ultimate punishment.”
The post received 672,500 views.
A Thai account also shared the same footage with a caption in Thai that reads: “A Bangladeshi couple were on their honeymoon trip for Umrah when a Pakistani man secretly filmed them kissing in a mosque courtyard and sent the video to Saudi Arabian authorities. Both were arrested, sentenced to death, and beheaded. Their young daughter stood scattering soil on her parents’ graves, trying to understand what had happened.”
The post received 643,400 views.
The same video was also shared by multiple accounts on X and Facebook, as seen here, here, here, here, here, and here.
However, the video predates the claim and is unrelated to the incident in Makkah. The same footage was shared on Facebook on May 26, 2026, with a Bangla caption that translates to: “Seeing the daughter’s tears, everyone started crying.”
Furthermore, in a recent interview published by Bangladeshi news outlet Jagonews24, Abdul Bachir, the father of the man reportedly executed in Saudi Arabia, said his son was unmarried and that the woman executed alongside him was not his wife.
The iVerify Pakistan team also identified the man’s Facebook account, which showed no mention of a marriage or photographs indicating that he was married.
Therefore, the claim that a viral video shows the daughter of the couple executed in Saudi Arabia over an indecent act in a mosque is false.
Viral video of Bangladeshi woman being beheaded over indecent acts in Makkah mosque
On Oct 16, a US-based Bengali content creator shared a video on X allegedly showing a woman in a burqa being beheaded at a public square with the following caption: “Two Bangladeshis were executed by beheading yesterday inside a mosque in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for sexual offences.”
The post attracted 3m views.
An Indian journalist shared the same video in a similar context on Oct 20, gaining 895,000 views.
Another Indian account shared the same video in a similar context with the following caption: “For giving a kiss, a husband and wife have had their heads cut off and been killed. Is this the religion that emphasises love and peace?”
The video garnered 324,000 views.
A Nigerian digital media outlet shared the same video in a similar claim with the details of the execution that happened on Oct 14, 2026.
The post gained 205,000 views
A reverse image search was conducted to trace the old visuals, which yielded the same visual shared by Dawn on January 27, 2015, in a news article titled: “A Saudi beheading, an IS beheading”.
According to the news article, the visuals show Laila Bint Abdul Muttalib Basim, a Burmese woman living in Saudi Arabia, being publicly beheaded in Makkah after being accused of murdering and sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl.
The child was reportedly her husband’s daughter from a previous marriage, making her Laila’s stepdaughter.
The same visual with the same context was shared by several other mainstream international media outlets, such as Middle East Eye, Faras News, Time of Israel, and Europa Press.
Therefore, the claim that a viral video shows a woman being beheaded over her indecent act in a mosque in Makkah is false.
Images related to the two Bangladeshis
Since October 18, a collage carrying six visuals has been shared by several users, including Bangladeshi users. The collage carries six images, with three questionable visuals.
First, a man mourning over the alleged coffin of the executed couple.
Second, faces of the executed man and woman.
Third, the man and woman detained with faces blurred.
A Bangladeshi user, based on its cover photo and past posts, shared the collage with the following caption: “A Pakistani Kulaungar citizen residing in Saudi Arabia conspired to secretly take a photo of two Bangladeshi citizens from behind and supplied the information to the 1st Saudi government, thereby assisting in the implementation of the death penalty. That Pakistan is Bangladesh’s sworn enemy from birth has once again been proven in this Saudi incident. I express my utter contempt.”
The post gained 1.4m views.
Another account shared the same collage with a caption: “Saudi Arabia enforced its laws after a man and woman committed indecent acts inside a mosque in Makkah; Islamic jurisprudence applied, sentences upheld, royal order carried out. If you don’t like Islamic jurisprudence, leave Saudi Arabia.”
The post gained 27,632 views.
The same image collage can also be seen here, here, and here.
Other users also shared the same image in a similar context on Facebook, as can be seen here and here.
For the first visual, a reverse image search yielded the same image shared by Bangladeshi news outlet Jagonews24 in an article dated June 16, 2019, titled: “He went abroad in a healthy body, but returned as a corpse before fulfilling his dreams”, which said expatriate deaths were rising, with statistics showing a 12% increase in 2018 compared to the previous year.
According to the news article, the visual accompanied a report about Bangladeshi migrant workers who died abroad and whose bodies were repatriated to Bangladesh. The report specifically highlighted the case of a 35-year-old worker, Ratan, who died in Malaysia on June 11, 2019, following health complications.
As for the second visual from the collage, a reverse image search yielded no credible news outlets that ran the images as being of the man and woman executed.
Examining the visual using the SynthID detector, which identifies a digital watermark, showed that it had been generated using OpenAI.
A forensic analysis of the third image was also conducted using the SynthID detector, which showed the image was edited or generated using Google AI.
Fact-check status: false
The claim that viral visuals show the Bangladeshi man and woman who were executed by Saudi authorities is false.
Some of the visuals are old from unrelated incidents, while others have been doctored.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan— a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.