Two tourists have died after being swept away by strong currents while trekking in Alikadam, Bandarban.
In connection with the incident, police on Saturday arrested Barsha Islam Brishti, admin of a Facebook-based travel group "Tour Expert," on charges of negligence, confirmed officer-in-charge of Alikadam police station, Mirza Zahir Uddin.
The deceased have been identified as Sheikh Jubairul Islam and Smriti Akter, the OC added.
According to the case statement, Barsha Islam used her Facebook group to organize various tours while ignoring safety measures and adverse weather conditions.
Smriti Akhter had joined the “Krishtang-RungRang Summit (30th)” event organized by Barsha and departed for Alikadam on Sunday. She lost contact with her family soon after.
The complaint further states that Barsha Islam allegedly bypassed local authorities and organized a tour with 33 people accompanied by only one guide, Siddhartha Tanchangya.
She reportedly failed to inform the tourists about the weather conditions.
On Monday, the group set out for the remote RungRang-Krishtang area. On Tuesday, Barsha, along with 12 others and the guide, left Khemchong Para for the Andharmanik trail. Smriti Akhter was among them.
They continued the tour without adequate safety measures or additional guides, the case statement said.
On Wednesday afternoon, at the Shaluk Jhiri (Shamuk Jharna) area, Smriti Akhter, Md Hasan Chowdhury Shuvo, and Sheikh Zubairul Islam went missing due to flash floods.
The body of Sheikh Zubairul was recovered from the Matamuhuri canal on Thursday, and Smriti’s body was found on Friday at Amtoli Ghat in Ward 2 of Sadar union.
Md Hasan Chowdhury Shuvo remains missing.
Following the incident, Smriti Akter’s father, Habibur Rahman, filed a case accusing Barsha of negligence.
The plaintiff claims that Barsha Islam’s negligence and incompetence directly caused his daughter’s death.
Regarding the incident, Mintu Karmakar, president of the Alikadam Tourist Guide Association, said: “The three individuals went missing while returning from the Bam Douchhori area. Although two bodies were recovered, Hasan is still missing.”