The Bangladesh Coast Guard has rescued 44 people, including women and children, who were being held captive in a remote hilly area of Baharchhara in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar district allegedly for human trafficking abroad.
Confirming the matter on Friday afternoon, Coast Guard Media Officer Lt Commander Siaumul Haque said the rescue operation was conducted from Thursday night to Friday morning.
Acting on a tip-off that a large group of people were being confined in a hideout in Pinis Bhanga hill area to be trafficked to Malaysia by sea, a special operation was launched by coastguards. During the raid, 44 people were rescued from a secret hideout atop the hill.
During primary interrogation, the victims said several organised trafficking rings had lured them with promises of lucrative jobs and a better life abroad.
The traffickers had reportedly confined both Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals in the remote Teknaf hills, waiting for an opportune time to transport them to Malaysia by boat from the Marine Drive coastal area. Some victims also claimed they were tortured for ransom while being held captive.
Haque also said the traffickers managed to flee the scene sensing the presence of law enforcers, adding, “No arrests could be made during the operation, but surveillance and intelligence drives are ongoing to track down those responsible.”
The incident is the latest in a series of rescues from the same area. On Tuesday, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) rescued six people, including Rohingyas, from a nearby hill.
Earlier, on 3 October, a joint operation by the Coast Guard and the Navy rescued 38 people, including women and children, from the same region. On 2 October, 21 victims were rescued, while on 1 October, police saved seven women and a child.
Earlier on 23 September, five youths were rescued during a special operation in the dense Kachhapia hills of Baharchhara Union. On 18 September, a joint operation by the Coast Guard and the Navy rescued 66 people, including 44 women and children, most of whom were Rohingya nationals.
On 14 September, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and BGB rescued 83 people, including women and children, from the same area. Authorities said efforts are continuing to identify and dismantle the human trafficking networks operating in the remote hill tracts of Teknaf.
