RAB-15 rescued 31 people, including 26 Rohingyas and 5 Bangladeshi, from Teknaf of Cox's Bazar district on Monday. The rescued persons were being held in Teknaf’s Baharchhara Kachchapiya hilly area for trafficking to Malaysia through the sea.
Two people were arrested in connection with the human trafficking.
RAB-15’s Senior Assistant Director (Legal and Media), Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Debajit Pal, confirmed the matter at 10:00pm on Monday.
Among the rescued, 26 are Rohingyas and 5 are Bangladeshis. The 5 Bangladeshis include 3 men, 1 child, and 1 woman.
The detainees were Mohammad Anwar, 44, son of the deceased Ochiur Rahman from Pankhali Ward No 4 in Hnila of Teknaf, and Mohammad Ayub, 36, son of the deceased Rafik from North Lomburi Ward No 2 in the Sadar Union.
ASP Debajit Pal said Ekhlaas Mia from Ukhiya Upazila and his companions were abducted at gunpoint while visiting Marine Drive in Teknaf on November 12. They were taken to a hilltop where 40–45 individuals were already held captive by human traffickers.
The traffickers tortured Ekhlaas and demanded a ransom of Tk 2,00,000. Unable to pay, he was moved with others to a trawler, intended for trafficking to Malaysia. However, he managed to escape and informed RAB about the situation, he added.
Based on this information, a RAB team conducted a drive at midnight on Sunday in the Kachhapia hill area of Baharchhara Union in Teknaf. While 5-6 suspects tried to flee, RAB managed to detain two individuals, while the rest fled.
Subsequently, 31 individuals gathered for trafficking to Malaysia were rescued from the scene.
ASP Debojit Pal further said the human traffickers lured them with promises of taking them to Malaysia by sea and held them hostage on the hilltop in Kachhapia. The traffickers extorted a ransom of Tk 1,00,000 per person from their relatives. Those who failed to pay the ransom were being taken elsewhere on trawlers under the pretense of being trafficked to Malaysia.
A case has been filed against the detained traffickers at Teknaf Police Station under the relevant laws, he added.
