The promise of earning Tk4-5 lakh a month in Italy drove five men from Chuadanga to sell their land, livestock, farming equipment and even their wives’ jewellery, while some also took loans from NGOs to finance their journeys.
But instead of reaching Europe, they ended up in a Libyan detention facility, where they were allegedly held hostage and tortured for 10 months before returning home.
Human traffickers are accused of extracting around Tk1.47 crore from the five families through recruitment fees and ransom demands. Although the men survived, they returned without their savings or assets and burdened with debt.
The victims, aged between 21 and over 50, are from Phulbogadi, Nimtala and Barogangni villages in Alamdanga Upazila of Chuadanga. They were identified as Zahid Hasan, Kamrul Islam, Zahidul Islam, Alif and Sabbir Ali.
Their families alleged that the men were lured by an offer arranged through Mohammad Ali House, whose representative promised them lucrative jobs in Italy. The proposed payment arrangement required half the money before departure and the rest after reaching Italy.
Instead, the men were taken through several countries to Libya. On arrival, their passports, mobile phones and visa documents were allegedly confiscated, and they were confined in a room with 57 others, cut off from outside communication.
The victims said they were taken to separate rooms and forced to call their families to demand additional money. Those who refused to comply were physically tortured.
Zahid, 50, said he had once owned a farm with 300 sheep and a tractor, having spent 12 years working in Kuwait. In November 2025, he sold his assets and paid Tk29 lakh to brokers in the hope of starting a new life in Italy.
“I was held in Libya for 10 months and subjected to inhuman torture. I returned alive, but the marks of abuse remain. I spend most of the day sleeping because of my illness. I have nothing left now,” he said.
Kamrul, 42, sold his 60-sheep farm and 12 cattle, took loans and leased out his land before paying Tk32 lakh. Zahidul, 21, paid Tk34 lakh, hoping to improve his family's financial condition. Neither reached Italy.
Hundreds reportedly trapped in Libya
The Chuadanga cases are not isolated. More than 300 young men from several villages in Bhairab, Kishoreganj, reportedly remain trapped in Libyan detention centres after being promised passage to Italy.
Families said the men were taken through Mumbai, Saudi Arabia and Egypt before reaching Libya, where local brokers allegedly handed them over to international criminal networks. Ransoms of Tk25 lakh per person are reportedly being demanded for their release.
The families have called for urgent steps to bring their relatives home. They alleged that a local broker named Rajan had promised to take them to Italy within 15-20 days for Tk22 lakh each. The money was handed to his uncle Arif, but Rajan's house has since remained locked and his uncle has reportedly disappeared.
Two young men who recently returned after escaping a Libyan torture facility described being sold to criminal groups and subjected to severe beatings, including attacks with pistol butts.
According to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, Bangladeshis account for the largest group attempting to reach Italy through Libya and the Mediterranean route. Between 2009 and June 2026, around 110,000 Bangladeshis entered Europe through this irregular route, according to the agency's figures cited in the report.
Women allegedly trafficked to Dubai
While men are often lured with promises of jobs in Italy and routed through Libya, women are allegedly trafficked to the United Arab Emirates with offers of well-paid work in dance bars, beauty parlours, restaurants and domestic services.
In many cases, recruiters reportedly promise employment visas but send women on tourist or visit visas. Once in Dubai, their passports and phones are allegedly seized, and they are confined in hotels or apartments.
Traffickers then impose fabricated debts of $10,000-$15,000 for travel and visa expenses, forcing some women into commercial sex or labour exploitation to repay the money, according to the report.
Airport checks under scrutiny
Allegations have also surfaced that some airport employees and officials facilitate trafficking through a practice known as “body contract”, in which brokers allegedly pay Tk30,000-50,000 per passenger to help them pass immigration checks despite incomplete travel documents.
An immigration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said traffickers sometimes used valid visas for one country before sending passengers elsewhere. He said it was difficult for immigration officers to know whether someone travelling on a tourist or Umrah visa intended to move on to another country.
He added that action would be taken against any officials found involved in such activities.
Shariful Hasan, associate director of BRAC Migration Programme, said arresting local brokers alone would not dismantle the trafficking networks.
“Authorities must trace where the money goes, including the ransom collected from victims held in Libya. This is an organised crime, and the entire network must be brought to justice,” he said.
He also urged prospective migrants to verify job offers and consult educated and reliable people before travelling abroad.
Superintendent of Police Md Sufi Ullah of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said the agency investigates trafficking cases directly or through shadow investigations. Victims who return home should file cases with local police so that the people and agencies involved can be brought to justice, he added.