Chinese vloggers mislabel Dhaka slums as New Delhi, vanish under surveillance

A pair of Chinese vloggers uploaded a series of videos on social media that portrayed dilapidated settlements as if they were located in India's capital, New Delhi. Independent analysts and local observers quickly pointed out that the visual cues, signage and architectural features matched those of slum areas in Dhaka, Bangladesh, not the Indian capital.

The misrepresentation sparked criticism from Indian netizens and prompted authorities to examine the content for potential violations of media and foreign influence regulations. Within days of the controversy, the vloggers' online profiles became inactive, and attempts to contact them have gone unanswered.

Sources close to the investigation suggest that the creators may have been subjected to surveillance by Indian law enforcement agencies following the incident, though official statements have not been released. The episode underscores growing concerns about cross‑border misinformation and the challenges of monitoring digital content that blurs geographic boundaries.