44 People Rescued from Hills Where They Were Held for Human Trafficking

The Coast Guard has rescued 44 people, including women and children, from the remote hills of Baharchhara in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar. They had been gathered for the purpose of being trafficked by sea to Malaysia.

Lieutenant Commander Md. Salahuddin Rashid Tanvir, Station Commander of Teknaf, shared this information at a press conference held at Teknaf Station on Friday (October 24) afternoon. He added that no one could be arrested as the traffickers had fled the scene.

Lt. Commander Salahuddin Rashid Tanvir said, “On Thursday midnight, the Coast Guard received information that a group of people, including women and children, were being gathered in a secret hideout in the remote hills of Pinishbanga area of Baharchhara Union, Teknaf, for trafficking to Malaysia by sea. Acting on this intelligence, a Coast Guard team conducted a raid from 2:00 a.m. Thursday to 7:00 a.m. Friday. When they surrounded the suspicious hideout, 7–8 people managed to escape. Later, 44 individuals, including women and children held captive for trafficking, were rescued from the traffickers’ secret hideout atop the hill.”

He further stated, “Several organized gangs are active in Teknaf’s sea routes for human trafficking. They lure both Rohingyas and Bangladeshi citizens with promises of high-paying jobs abroad, convenient employment, a better lifestyle, low-cost overseas travel, and free passage. The traffickers then detain them and attempt to extort ransom through abuse.”

The rescued individuals have been handed over to Teknaf Police Station to be returned to their families, Lt. Commander Salahuddin Rashid Tanvir confirmed.