71 Malaysia-Bound Passengers Vanish Before Departure

A total of 71 passengers booked on a Malaysia-bound flight from Dhaka disappeared from the airport before departure after five fellow travellers were prevented from boarding over discrepancies involving their visas and passports, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of document verification procedures at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-386, scheduled to operate from Dhaka to Malaysia. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:35 pm without 76 passengers who had initially completed the check-in process.

According to airport sources, the flight was scheduled to carry 245 passengers. Of those, 76 ultimately did not board the aircraft despite having completed the necessary check-in formalities.

Sources said all 76 passengers had obtained boarding passes after checking in for the flight. However, while boarding was underway, authorities identified discrepancies between the visas and passports of five passengers at the boarding gate. They were subsequently denied permission to travel and removed from the flight.

The discovery reportedly triggered an unexpected chain of events.

Airport sources said that after news spread among other passengers that several travellers had encountered visa-related problems, many individuals travelling on the same flight quietly left the airport. By the time boarding had concluded, none of the 76 passengers—including the five who had been offloaded—had boarded the aircraft.

The incident has raised fresh concerns about the airport’s multi-layered passenger screening system.

According to sources familiar with airport procedures, immigration police have the capability to detect forged or invalid electronic visas during the departure process. However, in this case, the passengers’ travel documents were reportedly accepted as verified at the airline’s check-in counter, allowing boarding passes to be issued.

The passengers subsequently cleared immigration and were granted permission to leave the country before the alleged discrepancies were identified only at the boarding gate.

The apparent failure to detect suspected fraudulent documents at earlier stages has prompted questions about how passengers with potentially invalid visas were able to complete check-in and immigration clearance before being stopped immediately prior to boarding.

Airport sources claimed that all 76 passengers were travelling to Malaysia on tourist visas. They also alleged that the group intended to remain in Malaysia beyond the permitted period, reportedly based on assurances provided by a travel agency. However, no official evidence has been presented publicly to substantiate that claim, and the identity of the agency has not been disclosed.

An eyewitness described confusion at the boarding gate after several passengers were separated from the queue for additional questioning.

“During boarding, a few passengers were suddenly taken aside for questioning,” the witness said. “Later, we learned there were problems with their visas. After that, several other passengers who had been waiting in line were no longer there. A short while later, airport authorities removed a number of passengers from the flight.”

Officials at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.

Airport sources, however, confirmed that several passengers on the flight had been offloaded because of visa-related issues. They did not specify how many passengers had been stopped by immigration authorities before the flight’s departure or whether an investigation had been launched into the incident.

The episode has once again highlighted concerns surrounding document verification for outbound passengers, particularly those travelling on tourist visas to countries that are popular destinations for migrant workers. Bangladesh’s immigration authorities and airlines routinely examine passports, visas and supporting travel documents before international departures to prevent the use of forged documents and combat human trafficking and illegal migration.

The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the remaining passengers after the initial offloading have also drawn attention to airport security and passenger monitoring procedures. It remains unclear whether the individuals voluntarily left the terminal, were intercepted by authorities or will face further scrutiny regarding their travel documents.

No official statement had been issued by Biman Bangladesh Airlines or the relevant airport authorities at the time of reporting. It is also unclear whether any investigation has been initiated to determine how the passengers cleared multiple stages of document verification before the alleged visa irregularities were detected at the boarding gate.