A viral video showing Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam in an intimate setting with a woman has triggered widespread controversy, with the Satkhira-4 MP alleging he was held hostage, extorted and targeted in a politically motivated smear campaign.

The footage began circulating widely on Facebook on Monday night. Its authenticity, as well as where and how it was recorded, could not be independently verified.

In a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, Gazi Nazrul claimed the incident occurred on July 13 when he visited a business office in Dhaka's Moghbazar with his first wife, Maksuda Begum, and second wife, Mariam Begum, at the office of his second wife's father, Md. Masum Billah.

According to the MP, his driver and his second wife's maternal uncle, Obaidullah, left the room on the pretext of checking the vehicle before returning with five to seven unidentified men, who allegedly held them hostage and forced them to hand over one lakh taka.

He alleged the rented vehicle he was using was also detained and that the group later demanded several hundred thousand taka more, threatening him when he refused to pay.

The MP said the incident was orchestrated because of a longstanding family dispute between Obaidullah and his second wife's father.

He further alleged that videos capturing private moments between him and his wife were secretly recorded and later circulated on social media before being falsely portrayed as evidence of an extramarital relationship for political purposes.

He described the allegations as "completely false, baseless and a deliberate smear campaign."

Attempts to reach Gazi Nazrul by phone on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, the Satkhira district unit of Jamaat-e-Islami said it believes the viral footage was leaked from CCTV cameras installed at a residence in Dhaka, although that claim also could not be independently verified.

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