Dhaka : Over 150 Chinese nationals have been filming and livestreaming from economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, falsely depicting them as parts of New Delhi, India, according to several reports. While recording footage from these locations, they made disparaging comments about India’s living standards, sanitation, food habits, and poverty. The misleading portrayal has sparked concerns over the deliberate distortion of geographical locations and the possible use of deceptive online content to create negative perceptions about India among international audiences. The incident underscored the growing threat posed by misinformation and manipulated content on social media, where sensationalised posts can spread widely before their authenticity is established.

The activities have reportedly been taking place in Dhaka’s Tekpara and Uttara areas for several months, with streamers remaining active from early morning until late at night. One Chinese woman identified as ‘Mianmian’, who claimed to be from China’s Sichuan province, livestreamed from beside a canal in Uttara Sector 12 of Dhaka on November 1. She reportedly presented the area to her online audience as New Delhi and described the residential buildings and surrounding areas as dirty, underdeveloped, and unhygienic. “This is New Delhi. Their homes are extremely dirty. There isn’t even a fan inside the tin-roofed houses. This place is quite underdeveloped, dirty and unhygienic, and the law-and-order situation is poor,” leading Bangladeshi daily ‘Prothom Alo’ quoted her as saying. In another instance, a Chinese national was seen live streaming from tea stalls in the Tekpara locality of Dhaka, making the offensive remarks that the tea consumed by locals was made using “cow urine”.

“Look, they are drinking tea. Do you know what kind of tea this is? This is cow urine tea. They drink cow urine tea,” Prothom Alo quoted him as saying. The footage also contained derogatory comments on the residents’ lifestyles, with repeated references to poor hygiene, lack of sanitation, and substandard living conditions. These are not isolated incidents, as reports of Chinese content creators recording videos in Dhaka’s underprivileged neighbourhoods have been emerging since May 2026. The recurring pattern of Chinese content creators repeatedly filming in the same low-income neighbourhoods, along with allegations of geographical misrepresentation and intrusive filming, raises concerns about attempts to undermine India’s image internationally. These recent developments point to a coordinated anti-India campaign. The issue is not merely the recording of impoverished neighbourhoods, but the calculated misrepresentation of locations in another country as parts of India, coupled with disparaging remarks intended to influence how international audiences perceive Indian society.

Mumbai : A case of alleged religious conversion on the pretext of marriage has come to light in Mumbai, where a 22-year-old woman was allegedly persuaded to convert from Hinduism to Islam after being promised marriage and financial assistance, officials said on Tuesday. The Meghwadi Police have registered an FIR against the accused, identified as Faiz Akbar Khan, under the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026. The incident occurred in the Amina Nagar area of Mumbai’s Jogeshwari East. According to the police, the complaint was filed by the mother of the woman. In her complaint, she alleged that Faiz Akbar Khan befriended her daughter and convinced her to change her religion by assuring her that he would marry her and provide financial support.

The complainant further alleged that the accused had told her daughter, “If you change your religion, I will marry you.” On October 18, the 22-year-old reportedly went missing from her residence, following which a kidnapping complaint was lodged at the Virar Police Station.Two days later, on October 20, the woman allegedly sent her mother a certificate of a court marriage solemnised at the Bandra Court, adding another development to the case. The matter took a further turn on October 24, when the accused allegedly sent a wedding invitation card to the WhatsApp number of the woman’s brother.

The invitation carried the names “Mohammad Faiz weds Shravani (Ayesha)” and mentioned November 6, 2026, as the scheduled date of the wedding. Citing the wedding invitation as evidence, the woman’s mother alleged that her daughter had been subjected to religious conversion under the pretext of marriage. She approached the police with her complaint, following which the Meghwadi Police registered a case against the accused under Section 9(1) of the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026. The police have initiated an investigation to examine the allegations and establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged conversion and marriage. The case has been registered as FIR No. 0587/2026 at the Meghwadi Police Station. Sub-Inspector Indrajit Nemane has been assigned to the investigation and is currently probing the matter.

Further details are awaited.

Mumbai : A 16-year-old boy died after a fire broke out at a firecracker shop in Mumbai’s Malvani area late Monday night, triggering an explosion that led to the collapse of the shop’s slab, officials said.

The incident took place at around 9.56 p.m. on November 9 at a ground-floor shop near Gate No. 8 on Abdul Hamid Marg in Malad West. Six fire brigade vehicles were rushed to the spot after information about the blaze was received, and firefighting operations were launched.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), the fire was confined to firecrackers, electrical wiring and electrical installations inside the shop, which measured approximately 20 feet by 30 feet.

The situation worsened following an explosion of firecrackers, which caused the slab of the shop to collapse.

During the incident, a 16-year-old boy, who had initially been reported missing, was subsequently found dead inside the shop. His body was severely charred due to the fire.

The deceased was identified as Shanwaz Niyaz Khan, aged 16. He was taken to BMC’s Shatabdi Hospital in an ambulance. According to information received from the concerned Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of BDBA Hospital, Kandivali, he had suffered 100 per cent burns and was declared brought dead.

The fire was successfully extinguished at 10.36 p.m. on November 9, according to the fire brigade’s incident update issued at 1.22 a.m. on Tuesday.

Teams from the Mumbai Fire Brigade, police, the concerned electricity distribution company, 108 ambulance services and BMC ward staff were mobilised to manage the situation and carry out the necessary operations.

The incident comes amid heightened concerns over fire safety during the festive season, particularly in areas where firecrackers are stored and sold.

Earlier, fire services in Pune and Mumbai were stretched during Diwali celebrations, with both cities reporting a large number of fire incidents.

Pune recorded 94 fire incidents during Laxmipujan, while Mumbai reported 142 blazes during Diwali, of which 137 were attributed to firecrackers, according to figures released by the respective fire departments.

In Pune, fires were reported from several locations, including Satara Road, Mangalwar Peth and Range Hills. A major fire broke out at a printing shop on Satara Road, while a godown caught fire in Mangalwar Peth. Another fire was reported in a residential flat in Range Hills, prompting a response from fire brigade teams and police personnel.

Meanwhile, Mumbai’s 142 fire incidents were reported from different parts of the city during Diwali. Despite the large number of fire-related emergency calls, no injuries were reported in those incidents, according to the Mumbai Fire Brigade.