Bangladesh Navy has foiled a major human trafficking attempt in the Bay of Bengal, arresting 273 people who were attempting to travel illegally to Malaysia by sea.
The operation was carried out late Saturday night based on intelligence information by naval ship BNS Swadhinata, which was patrolling waters near Saint Martin’s Island.
According to the Navy, the vessel detected suspicious movement of a wooden boat about 30 nautical miles southwest of Saint Martin’s Island.
When signaled to stop, the boat attempted to flee by increasing speed, prompting a chase by the naval ship.
The boat was eventually intercepted and seized.
During the operation, the Navy detained 273 individuals, including 10 members of a suspected trafficking syndicate.
Preliminary interrogation revealed that all the passengers had paid traffickers to be smuggled to Malaysia through unsafe and illegal maritime routes.
Navy officials said the operation prevented a potentially catastrophic human tragedy, as the boat was travelling without minimum life-saving equipment, adequate food, water or safety arrangements.
Such conditions could have led to loss of life in deep-sea conditions, they added.
“The timely and effective action of the Bangladesh Navy has successfully thwarted a large-scale human trafficking operation,” a Navy statement said on Sunday.
The seized boat and the detained individuals were handed over to the Teknaf police station for further legal proceedings.