Cox’s Bazar human traffickers use many remote points of the district’s coastal areas to send passengers to Malaysia illegally on trawlers, and they often change the routes sensing a drive of law enforcement agencies, according to the Coast Guard, police and local inhabitants.
Investigations by the Dhaka Tribune have found that for safely ferrying the passengers, now the traffickers are using the coastal areas of Katabonia, Kochubonia, Hariakhali, Mundar Deil, Paschimpara of Shah Porir Dwip, Bahar Chhara of Teknaf; Mazir Ghat, Madarbonia, Reju Mohona of Sonar Para, Moricca Bazar Ghat of Ukhiya; Boro Chhara, Bahar Chara and different points of Marin Drive Road; Hoanok and Sonadia of Moheshkhali upazila.
Most of these spots are situated in remote coastal areas where the law enforcers cannot reach immediately after getting information mainly because of a poor communication system.
Talking to the local of the areas, the Dhaka Tribune has found the names of many traffickers, then crosschecked those with the Teknaf police officials and finally found some names matched.
Police have got some names from the passengers rescued recently from a Malaysia-bound fishing trawler.
The persons directly involved in trafficking are Dolu Hossain Dolu of Shah Porir Dwip; Sharif Hossain of Naya Para of Teknaf; Aiyub Bangalee of Teknaf; Sabdan, Abdur Rahim Majhi, Amanullah, Amin, Faruq, Farid, Siddique, Moulovi Bashir, Leru and Hamid of Kochubonia; three brothers Alamgir, Jahangir, Shawkat of Katabonia; Hasan, Jafar, Mustaru, Bhutto of Hariakhali; Hakim Majhi, Jamal Majhi, Hasan Ahmed, Mahmudul Hasan of Leda Rohingya Camp; and Nur Alam, Abdul Hafez, Mohammad Rafique, Kala Hasan of Godar Bill.
A lot of local people and Teknaf police sources alleged that many illegal Rohingya citizens, living in several areas of the upazila, are directly involved in human trafficking.
Kamrul Azam, second officer of Teknaf police station, said: “We have found some names of traffickers from others districts too and already informed the related police stations to arrest the criminals.”
So far, 126 cases related to human trafficking have been filed in Cox’s Bazar district accusing 708 people. Of them, 241 have been arrested and others are on the run, according to the Cox’s Bazar superintendent of police office.
Ali Ahmad, former chairman of Teknaf upazila, said: “Officials in the administration and the law enforcement agencies have to act strictly in order to stop illegal human trafficking. But unfortunately they are not taking any action against the culprits.”
Habibur Rahman, chairman of Sabrang union in Teknaf upazila, also blamed the law enforcers for assisting the traffickers.
Md Ruhul Amin, the deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazar, said: “The law enforcement agencies have been ordered to take human trafficking as a serious crime and prevent the traffickers.”
Also president of the district’s Anti-human Trafficking Taskforce, Ruhul said they were conducting awareness campaigns against human trafficking so that people could stand against the traffickers themselves.