38 rescued from traffickers in Teknaf, 2 arrested

Coast Guard and Navy personnel rescued 38 people, including women and children, from a traffickers’ hideout in Baharchhara, Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, on Friday morning. Two alleged traffickers were also detained.

Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haq, spokesperson for the Coast Guard, confirmed the operation in the afternoon. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team raided a remote hilly area near Kachhapia Government Primary School, where victims were being held before being trafficked to Malaysia and other countries.

Among the rescued were 18 women, 12 men, and eight children. Victims reported that traffickers had kept them captive for a long time, subjected them to abuse, and demanded ransom while preparing to smuggle them abroad.

The Coast Guard said legal action is being taken against the detained traffickers and affirmed that operations against human trafficking and related crimes will continue.