Bangladeshi expat missing at Dubai airport while returning from Saudi

A Bangladeshi expatriate worker, Rafiqul Islam, 40, has gone missing while travelling from Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh via Dubai, according to family members.

Rafiqul's family said he went missing in Dubai while returning home from Saudi Arabia. He has been out of contact with his family since February 28.

Rafiqul, from Madan Gopal area in Sidhuli union under Madarganj upazila, Jamalpur, went to Saudi Arabia five years ago. He took leave to spend Eid with his family and departed from Saudi Arabia's Al Qassim Airport at 11:00 am Bangladesh time on February 28 on an Air Arabia flight bound for Bangladesh via Dubai.

After the aircraft landed at Sharjah Airport in Dubai around 2:00 pm, the connecting flight from Dubai to Bangladesh was cancelled due to security reasons amid the ongoing war situation in the Middle East. Family members were in contact with Rafiqul until 4:00 am Bangladesh time that day. Contact has been lost since then.

Although the cancelled flight eventually landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh on March 4, Rafiqul did not return home nor contact his family. Meanwhile, his active accounts on Imo, Facebook and Messenger all show offline.

Madarganj Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Sumon Chowdhury said, "I have heard about his disappearance. It is unfortunate that one of our remittance warriors has gone missing. We will inform our higher authorities."