A joint operation by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) rescued 84 Malaysia-bound people from the hideouts of human traffickers in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar. Three members of the trafficking gang were arrested after the traffickers opened fire during the raid.
The rescue was disclosed at a joint press briefing of Teknaf-2 BGB Battalion on Monday at 12pm, reports Bangla Tribune.
The traffickers held are Abdullah, 21, of Baharchhara in Teknaf; Saiful Islam, 20, of the same area; and Ibrahim, 20.
Cox’s Bazar RAB-15 Commander Lt Col Kamrul Hasan said: “We received information that a trafficking gang was holding people deep inside the Baharchhara Kochchopia hills with the lure of sending them to Malaysia and Thailand. On Sunday night, BGB and RAB members first held one trafficker and rescued four victims from the Baharchhara hills. Based on their harrowing accounts and vital information, we conducted a large joint raid in the hills. From three separate hideouts, we rescued 84 people who had been gathered there for trafficking.”
He added: “In the daring 12-hour operation by BGB and RAB, we recovered a one-shot gun and a single-barrel shotgun from the scene. We also seized a foreign pistol, two locally made sharp weapons (ramda), a knife, and three live rounds from three chambers. Legal proceedings are underway in connection with the incident.”
Teknaf-2 BGB Commander Lt Col Ashiqur Rahman said: “Recently, several trafficking groups have become active in the hills of Teknaf. As a result, we are conducting raids in the hills through patrols and surveillance. As part of this, we raided several hideouts of trafficking gangs in the hills and rescued 84 people who were gathered for trafficking to Malaysia via Myanmar by sea. The rescued include both Rohingya camp residents and Bangladeshi nationals.”
He further said: “Three persons—Hossain, Saiful, and Nizam—based in Bangladesh are the masterminds of this international trafficking ring. Under them, a strong network of brokers operates across different branches. Local representatives, as well as groups from the camps, are also involved. We are working to apprehend them.”
