19 including 4 Forest Department workers abducted from Teknaf hill

Nineteen people, including four Forest Department workers, were abducted from Teknaf's hilly Jadimora area in Hnila union at around 10am on Monday (30 December).

Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sheikh Ehsan Uddin confirmed the information, saying the victims' identities could not yet be confirmed.

Teknaf has become a hotbed for abductions in recent months. Only on Sunday, police detained five members of an international human trafficking syndicate and rescued 66 people, including Rohingyas.

In today's incident, UNO Ehsan said the 19 workers had gone to plant saplings on Jadimora hill when they were abducted.

Forest Department's Teknaf Range Officer Abdur Rashid said the police, Armed Police Battalion, Rapid Action Battalion, and locals were jointly engaged in the rescue operation.

Contacted, Teknaf Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Muhammad Gias Uddin said, "I have heard about the matter. Law enforcement agencies are working on it."

According to Cox's Bazar District Police and families of victims, 143 people were kidnapped from various areas of Teknaf in the last 14 months. Among them, 86 were locals and 56 Rohingyas.

At least 69 of the victims were released after paying ransom.