Coast Guard rescues 50 from trafficking boat off Teknaf, 9 arrested

The Bangladesh Coast Guard has rescued 50 people from a boat intended to traffic them to Malaysia by sea off the coast of Teknaf in Cox's Bazar. Among those rescued, 11 are Rohingya and the rest are residents of various districts of Bangladesh, authorities said.

A special operation was conducted from 6:00 pm to 12:00 am on Friday, June 5, in the sea area adjacent to Baharchhara. Coast Guard vessels Mansur Ali, Station Teknaf, Outpost Shahpori Dwip and Baharchhara unit took part in the operation.

The Coast Guard said the suspected boat tried to flee towards the deep sea after ignoring signals to stop. The vessel was later apprehended after a chase. Nine suspected members of the human trafficking ring were detained during the operation.

According to preliminary interrogation, the trafficking ring lured victims to Teknaf with the promise of high-paying jobs and a better life abroad. They would then confine them in secret hideouts, torture them to extort ransom, and plan to traffic them by sea to Malaysia and other countries.

The Coast Guard also found evidence that several individuals had been abducted from various parts of the country for ransom.

Legal proceedings are underway against both the rescued individuals and the detained suspects. The Coast Guard said operations to prevent human trafficking will continue.