Members of the Coast Guard, in a drive, arrested 221 people as they tried to intrude into Malaysia through the Bay of Bengal route on Tuesday morning.
Coast Guard Teknaf Station Commander Lieutenant Dewan Rafiqul Awal told the Dhaka Tribune that the detainees were arrested from two trawlers on the Bay of Bengal near Saint Martin Island in Teknaf upazila around 5:30am.
Meanwhile, they trawlers were also seized.
He said the arrestees have been taken to Teknaf from Saint Martin Island.
Coast Guard Saint Martin Station Commander said: “Out of the arrestees, some 20 are women and 17 are children. All of them are the residents of from the Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Noakhali, Comilla, Chapainawabganjand Satkhira districts.”
He said the arrestees will be handed over to police once they reach Teknaf around 3pm.