Pori Moni rejects TV channel's apology after deepfakes posted from its hacked Instagram
Representative image: BiljaST / Pixabay
Bangladeshi actress Pori Moni said on October 17, 2026 that Maasranga TV's apology was not enough after deepfake videos of her were posted from its hacked Instagram.
What Happened
Bangladeshi film actress Pori Moni has publicly rejected an apology from Maasranga Television after fake videos of her were posted from the broadcaster's verified Instagram account. The channel says the account was hacked overnight on October 12-13, 2026, and that the posts, which included face-swapped deepfake videos of Pori Moni and actress Mehazabien Chowdhury, stayed up until about 11 am on October 13. A fact-checking group found the videos had been made by superimposing the actresses' faces using face-swapping technology. Maasranga recovered the account, deleted the posts, posted an apology card and said it had started legal action. In a Facebook post on October 17, Pori Moni said an apology by photo card did nothing to undo the damage and asked when the channel would bring those responsible to justice.
Key Facts
- Maasranga Television's verified Instagram account was taken over overnight on October 12-13, 2026, according to the channel.
- Five unauthorised posts were published, including face-swapped deepfake videos of Pori Moni and Mehazabien Chowdhury.
- The posts stayed live until about 11 am on October 13 and drew hundreds of thousands of views, according to reports.
- Fact-checkers at Rumor Scanner found the faces had been superimposed using face-swapping technology.
- The channel recovered the account, removed the posts, issued an apology card and said it had started legal action.
- Mehazabien Chowdhury called the content false and fabricated and said spreading it to humiliate people is a crime.
- On October 17, Pori Moni said the apology card was not enough and that her normal life had been made miserable again.
Why It Matters
This case brings together two online dangers that young people increasingly face: account takeovers and deepfakes. A verified account belonging to a large television channel was used to push fabricated videos of two well-known women to a huge audience within hours. Because the posts came from a trusted, official handle, many viewers may have assumed they were real before fact-checkers stepped in.
Pori Moni's response highlights the human cost. She said she had been unable to post on social media since the incident and that her children had faced hostile comments. Her criticism of the channel raises a wider question: when an organisation's account is hacked and used to harm someone, how much responsibility does the organisation carry for the damage, and what should a proper response look like beyond a deleted post and an apology card?
Mehazabien Chowdhury pointed to another part of the problem: the people who share such content. She said that when hundreds or thousands of people knowingly share the same fabricated material, it reflects a larger social failure. Every share spreads the harm further, even after the original post is gone.
| What happened | When |
|---|---|
| Deepfake posts appear on Maasranga's hacked Instagram | Overnight, October 12-13, 2026 |
| Posts removed, account recovered | Around 11 am, October 13 |
| Mehazabien Chowdhury condemns the fake videos | Later that week |
| Pori Moni rejects the channel's apology | October 17, 2026 |
Impact
Short-term: The channel's legal action and any police investigation will decide whether those who hacked the account and made the videos are identified. Pori Moni has said she wants to see action, not just words.
Long-term: Cases like this add pressure on platforms, media organisations and governments in South Asia to treat non-consensual deepfakes as serious crimes, to remove them faster and to secure official accounts better. For young social media users, it is a reminder that a video shared from even a verified account may be fake.
Who is affected: Pori Moni and Mehazabien Chowdhury, and their families; Maasranga Television and other media houses running large social media accounts; and social media users in Bangladesh and India who may come across or share such content.
Key Takeaway
A hacked TV channel account spread deepfake videos of two actresses to a vast audience in hours, and Pori Moni says an apology is no substitute for finding and punishing those responsible.
Questions and Answers
What happened to Pori Moni and Maasranga TV?
Deepfake videos of Pori Moni and Mehazabien Chowdhury were posted from Maasranga Television's verified Instagram account overnight on October 12-13, 2026. The channel says the account was hacked; it removed the posts, apologised and started legal action.
Were the videos of Pori Moni real?
No. Fact-checkers found the videos had been made by superimposing the actresses' faces using face-swapping technology. Mehazabien Chowdhury called the content false and fabricated.
Why did Pori Moni reject Maasranga TV's apology?
In a Facebook post on October 17, 2026, she said an apology through a photo card did nothing to repair the damage, that her life had been made miserable again, and she asked when the channel would bring those responsible to justice.
What should you do if you see a deepfake video of someone online?
Do not share it, even to criticise it, because every share spreads the harm. Report it to the platform, and if it targets you, keep records and report it to the police or the cyber crime authorities.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
