Fact Check India International Opar Bangla

Claim of Bangladeshi Citizen’s Arrest for Child Rape in Greece is Misleading

15 March, 2025 4:04 pm

Recently, a video has been circulated on social media platform X, claiming, “A Bangladeshi immigrant, Mohammad Salahuddin Sheikh, has been arrested in Greece for raping a 9-year-old Christian minor. They are spreading obscenity worldwide.”

You can view the post circulated on X(Twitter), here (Archive) and here (Archive).

Fact-Check

The investigation by the Rumor Scanner team reveals that the arrest of Bangladeshi immigrant Mohammad Salahuddin Sheikh in Greece on rape charges is not a recent incident but occurred nearly two years ago in 2023. Furthermore, the victim was not a 9-year-old minor but an adult woman.

During the investigation, a video post from June 22, 2023, published by an X account named ‘Visegrád 24’ was found (Archive). A comparison between this video and the one being circulated in the claim shows clear similarities.

The caption of the video states:

“Breaking! The Bangladeshi migrant Salahuddin S, suspected of murdering the 27-y-old Polish hotel worker Anastasia Rubinska on Kos (Greece), was taken to court today. It decided that he will remain in custody. Polish prosecutors were allowed to participate in his interrogation.”

This confirms that the circulated video is not recent.

Following this lead, a relevant keyword search led to a Poland-based news report published on June 25, 2023, by Poland Daily24 titled “Bangladeshi National Faces Additional Rape Charge in Anastasia Murder Case, New Footage Revealed.” According to this report:

“A 32-year-old Bangladeshi national, Sallahudin S., has been charged with rape in addition to the existing murder charge in the murder case on the Greek island of Kos. The victim, Anastasia Rubinska, a 27-year-old Polish woman, was allegedly raped by the accused. The suspect’s lawyer, however, has dropped the case.

During a court appearance on Friday (23rd June, 2023), the Bangladeshi national was presented with the rape charge involving the Polish woman, following the previous accusation of murdering Anastasia. Earlier, he had also been charged with kidnapping. Greek media reports suggest that the police have compelling evidence to believe that the man, who has resided on the island for 11 years, is responsible for the murder of the Polish woman.”

Additionally, a mainstream media report from Dhaka Tribune on June 26, 2023, titled “Bangladeshi Arrested for Killing Polish Woman in Greece” provides similar information.

Later, on December 7, 2024, another news report was found on the Ajker Patrika website titled “Bangladeshi Youth Sentenced to Life in Greece for Rape and Murder of Polish Woman.” This report states:

“A Greek court has sentenced Bangladeshi youth Salahuddin (33) to life imprisonment for the abduction, rape, and murder of Polish citizen Anastasia (27). The verdict, announced on Friday (December 6, 2024), has garnered widespread attention in Greek media. The case, which took place on the Greek island of Kos, has been described as one of the most gruesome crimes in recent decades by Greek media.

Greek news outlet Rodiaki reported that throughout the trial, the accused maintained his innocence, but his plea failed to convince the court. Meanwhile, the father of the deceased Polish woman told the Polish media Virtualna Polska that the verdict is not yet final.

Anastasia worked at a hotel on Kos Island. One night in June 2023, after finishing her shift, she went missing. CCTV footage showed her shopping and socializing with a group of South Asian workers, including Salahuddin. Later, she was seen riding on Salahuddin’s scooter to his residence. This was the last time Anastasia was seen alive.”

This confirms that the incident occurred in 2023, not recently, and that the victim was a 27-year-old adult woman, not a 9-year-old child.

Conclusion

The 2023 case of Bangladeshi national Salahuddin kidnapping, raping, and murdering a 27-year-old woman has been misrepresented as a recent incident involving the rape of a 9-year-old minor, which is misleading.