Frustrated and desperate, Rohingya refugees are being trafficked abroad through a five phase system, with locals involved in creating fake documents for the victims, investigators have said.
The victims are primarily trafficked to Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and some other countries for sex trade, they added.
On May 10, a team from the north unit of Dhaka Metropolitan police (DMP) Detective Branch (DB) rescued 23 women, and children who were in the process of being trafficked to Malaysia. Four people, including two Rohingyas, were arrested for their alleged involvement in the trafficking, and 54 passports were recovered from their possession.
DB West Zone is currently in charge of the case.
DB West Zone Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mokhlesur Rahman told Dhaka Tribune that their investigation into the incident had revealed that the Rohingyas were being trafficked through a five phase process, at a total cost of Tk300,000-400,000.
In the first phase, the Rohingya victims would be transferred from Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar to Dhaka. After paying Tk10,000 to a broker, the victims would be sent to Chittagong, from where they would be sent to Dhaka by train after paying a further Tk10,000 to a second broker.
In the second phase, a third broker would meet with the victims once they arrive in Dhaka, and then set them up with temporary accommodations in either Jatrabari or Tongi. Subsequently, the victims would be transferred to a house behind a tailoring shop in Khilkhet, near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
While at the house in Khilkhet, the victims would be taught basic Bangla by a Rohingya couple who have been in Bangladesh since before the exodus on August 25, 2017, so that the victims could pass airport security. The Rohingya couple would be paid Tk40,000 for their services.
In the third phase, the third broker would arrange passports for the victims, which he would handover after being paid Tk180,000. This broker would also ensure that the victims got on the aeroplane.
In the fourth phase, the victims would be taken to Indonesia, where a fourth broker would meet with them. After being paid Tk90,000, this broker would put them on a plane to Malaysia.
In the fifth phase, another broker would meet with the victims in Malaysia to take them to “an agency working for the betterment of the Rohingya.”
According to the DB West Zone DC, investigators have unearthed all the details of the first three phases. However, how the passports were arranged, and what really happens to the victims once they reach Malaysia are both still a mystery.
“The victims were told they would have a better future in Malaysia, and that they would get job opportunities at an organization working for the betterment of the Rohingya people,” the DC added.
The Dhaka Tribune could not confirm if any such organization was working in Malaysia. However, it was learned that Rohingyas at the UNHCR camp in Malaysia are living in much better conditions, and this may be luring the victims into cooperating with the traffickers.
When asked whether the confiscated passports were fake, the DC said he could not confirm this yet, as the passports did not belong to the victims, and one of rescued person had two passports.
“We have sent the passports to Special Branch for verification, but they are yet to complete the process,” he added.
Officials of Special Branch could not be reached for comments.
There are 178,010 refugees, and asylum-seekers registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia, as of the end of July 2019. This includes 154,370 from Myanmar, among whom 97,650 are Rohingyas. A total of 68% of the refugees and asylum seekers are men, while 32% are women.