5 victims rescued from deep hills in Teknaf, 1 human trafficker arrested!

Daily Bijoy News Teknaf (Cox's Bazar) Correspondent:

In a joint operation by the Bangladesh Coast Guard and Navy in the deep hilly area adjacent to Habilshari in Teknaf, a border upazila of Cox's Bazar, 1 human trafficker has been arrested along with 5 victims, including women and children. The arrested trafficker is Mohammad Hasan (55), son of Abdus Salam from Ward No. 1, Habilshari, Teknaf Sadar. This information was confirmed by Teknaf Station Commander Lieutenant Commander Salauddin Rashid Tanvir during a press conference around 2:00 PM on Sunday (October 26). He stated that based on information provided by the arrested traffickers, it was learned that a group of people, including women and children, were being held captive in the deep hills of the Habilshari area in Teknaf, with the intention of sending them to Malaysia via the sea route. A special team of the Coast Guard and Navy conducted a joint operation around 2:00 AM on (October 26). During the operation, 5 victims, including 4 women and 1 child, were rescued from the traffickers' secret den, and one human trafficker was arrested. Preliminary interrogation of the rescued individuals revealed that several organized trafficking syndicates lure Bangladeshi and Rohingya citizens from various parts of the country, including Teknaf, into the trap of being trafficked to Malaysia with promises of a better life, high-salaried jobs, and low costs for sending them abroad. Before trafficking them, they would hold them captive in hilly areas, subjecting them to torture and attempting to extort ransom. He further added that the traffickers later planned to send the victims to Malaysia by boat from the coast near Marine Drive. Legal proceedings regarding the rescued individuals and the arrested human trafficker are ongoing, according to the Coast Guard.

Daily Bijoy News / Shamsul Alam Sharek