The joint drive took place on Sunday, 25 October 2026, targeting several Rohingya camps managed under the jurisdiction of the 16th Armed Police Battalion (APBn). Local administrative officials worked alongside personnel from the 16th APBn and other law enforcement agencies to execute the sweeps.

Acting on precise intelligence, officers arrested 65-year-old Md Kabir, also known as Doctor Kabir, alongside his associate, 42-year-old Md Elias, commonly referred to as Elias Member. Both men reside in Leda Camp 24 under Hnila Union in Teknaf and face multiple pending criminal charges. Preliminary investigations by the 16th APBn linked both suspects to an ill-fated trafficking attempt in April 2026, when a boat carrying Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya refugees capsized near the Andaman Islands en route to Malaysia. Surviving passengers were later rescued by the coastguard after clinging to plastic drums and wooden debris.

A parallel raid conducted at the Nayapara registered Rohingya refugee camp led to the arrest of 36-year-old Abu Taher. Taher had been absconding after receiving a four-year custodial sentence and a 10,000-taka fine in connection with murder and firearms convictions.

Mobile courts operating alongside the joint forces penalized ten additional individuals for infractions including breaching public order regulations, drug consumption, parental assault, and unauthorized entry into restricted camp areas. Magistrates handed six-month prison terms to three individuals, a five-month sentence to one, and three-month terms to two others, while fining four individuals 500 taka each.

All detained individuals have been transferred to Teknaf Police Station for formal processing and prosecution. Additional Deputy Inspector General Mohammad Kawsar Sikdar, Commanding Officer of the 16th APBn in Teknaf, confirmed the arrests and emphasized that joint security operations will continue across the refugee camps to maintain law and order and curb criminal networks in the border region.