Five months after being lured and illegally transported to Malaysia, Abdur Rashid’s dead body was recovered from the Belantik holding camp and sent back home.
The body arrived in Bangladesh on Monday night and was sent to his home in Bhelanagar area of Narsingdi yesterday morning. His family, after losing the sole bread earner, has demanded exeplary punishment of the accused brokers involved with human traffickers who had lured Rashid away.
Family members said Rashid used to work in a furniture shop in Bhelanagar bazar. He left behind wife Nasima Begum, three sons Swapan Mia, 20, Shakil Mia, 12, and Sayem Mia, 8. They said on the evening of March 27, Rashid got on to a Malaysia-bound trawler along with several others under the persuasion of a broker, Jamir Uddin, of Raupura upazila’s Mahmudnagar area. He did not inform any of the family members.
When Rashid’s family got in touch with Jamir later, the broker threatened to kill Rashid unless the family pay Tk300,000. Later, on April 28, Rashid’s elder brother went to Jamir’s home and paid Tk250,000. However, after being at sea for one and a half month, the traffickers abandoned the boat people.
Afterwards, the boat people managed to get to Langkawi; Malaysian police on May 11 took into custody Rashid and his two associates along with 716 other Bangladeshis and held them at the Belantik camp. Rashid became ill and died at the camp on June 5.
Rashid’s co-travellers Moqbul Hossain and Awlad Hossain of Bhelanagar returned to Bangladesh in June and July respectively and the news of the death to Rashid’s family. When the family got in touch with broker Jamir after hearing the news, they were further intimidated.
After a complaint was filed on June 25 addressing the superintendent of police of the upazila the case was handed to Raipura police, but they did not take any necessary action.
Although the living migrants were brought back through government channels, complications arose with costs of bringing back Rashid’s dead body and the whole process was postponed. Later, under the initiative of the organisations Karam Asia and Bhalobashi Bangladesh, Rashid’s body was sent back.