The police arrested six human traffickers from an under-construction building in Chittagong city’s Khatiberhat area yesterday, and rescued 23 victims who were ready to be shipped off to Malaysia from the port city.
The arrestees included the gang leaders of the trafficking racket Mohammad Ismail, 24, of Banshkhali upazila, , Mohammad Mohsin, 50, of Chandgaon area, and four boatmen, Mobarak Hossain, 23, Nur Nabi, 23, from Cox’s Bazar district, Md Achan, 30, and Md Yunus, 46, from Banshkhali upazila, said police sources.
Acting on a tip-off, a joint team from Panchlaish and Chandgaon police stations conducted the drive at the under-construction building at around 4am and rescued the 23 people, said Shah Mohammad Abdur Rouf, assistant commissioner of Panchlaish circle of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP), who led the drive.
The 23 people, who were brought into the port city on Friday, were primarily employed as construction workers at a building and scheduled to be shipped off yesterday night, he said.
During initial interrogation, Ismail told the police that he had connection with Mohammad Ali and Shafiq, two expatriates in Malaysia; adding that he had arranged passage for the 23 people to Malaysia as the expatriates had promised him Tk5,000 as commission for each individual.
Ismail’s duty was to take the 23 men to the Natun Bridge area where four boatmen were prepared to take them to a ship, which had made a deal to carry the 23 people to Malaysia, he informed.
Most of the 23 rescued people – hailing from Narsingdi, Munshiganj, Tangail, Kishoreganj, Narayanganj, Chandpur and Sirajganj districts – were illiterate, poor and employed, the Dhaka Tribune found after visiting the men at Panchlaish police station, where they were kept after their rescue.
Nurul Islam, one of the rescued, told the Dhaka Tribune that he along with his cousin Shukkur Bepari came to the port city Friday afternoon, after which Ismail took them to Khatiberhat saying they would be sent to Malaysia by ship yesterday night.
Saying that they were asked to give Tk180,000 for going abroad, Nurul Islam added that they had talked to the expatriate Ali over mobile phone till Friday night, but were unable to reach him after 10pm Friday.
Tajul Islam, an HSC-passed student, said Ismail had offered him a good-paid job abroad.
Mohammad Shahidullah, additional deputy commissioner (north) of the CMP, said the gang usually used the Teknaf-sea route for trafficking people abroad, but the Chittagong route was preferred in winter as the sea remained calm during the season.
The gangs mainly targeted the poor, illiterate and unemployed people from the northern parts of the country and bagged huge amount of money from the victims, he said.
The police were looking into the matter and trying to nab other members of the gang, added the police official.
A case has been lodged with Panchlaish police station in this connection.
