Joint forces handed over 57 individuals, rescued from a remote hill hideout of human traffickers in Ranggikhali under Hnila Union in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, to Teknaf Model Police Station on Friday afternoon.
Many of those rescued had been lured into the hills on false promises of employment, held captive, and subjected to severe torture by human traffickers.
According to sources from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), joint forces launched an operation at the human trafficking syndicate’s hideout in the remote hills of Ranggikhali on Thursday afternoon.
A gunfight broke out between the joint forces and armed traffickers during the raid, in which Soldier Mohammad Titas Sheikh, 27, was killed by gunfire from the human traffickers.
Security forces detained five members of the human trafficking gang during the operation, seizing one pistol, one locally-made gun, and four rounds of ammunition from their possession. Personnel from the 10th Infantry Division of the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and the police participated in the operation.
Teknaf Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Saiful Islam confirmed the development.
He said joint forces handed over the 57 rescued individuals to the police station on Friday morning, and authorities are currently verifying their identities and background details.
The OC added that following the completion of legal procedures regarding the army member shot dead during the hill operation, his body is being taken to his village home in Nagarkanda Union, Faridpur.
The victims in police custody recounted that traffickers brought them from various locations under the pretext of offering them jobs. They were subsequently kept confined in the remote hills of Ranggikhali and subjected to physical torture.
The victims said they attempted to escape from captivity but failed, as a 40- to 50-strong armed guard force patrolled the hill hideout, making escape virtually impossible.
Local residents and public representatives have demanded a sweeping combing operation to eradicate armed human trafficking hideouts established in the rugged hills.
Student representatives also called for human chain demonstrations across various locations in Teknaf following Jummah prayers to protest the incident.
Locals alleged that human trafficking and kidnapping syndicates have long maintained hideouts across various hilly areas in Teknaf, abducting ordinary citizens for ransom and detaining people under false job promises to inflict torture.
They noted that the death of a soldier during the latest operation underscores the grave threat posed by active armed criminal gangs in the hills.
Emphasising that merely arresting detained gang members would not eradicate such crimes, local residents demanded that authorities identify all trafficking hideouts in the hills, arrest armed perpetrators, and conduct regular joint operations in remote areas.
They also called for proper security, medical care, and rehabilitation measures for the rescued victims.
