After successful operations in the hills, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has now shown success at sea. Twenty-nine people, who were being taken for trafficking from the Marine Drive seafront in Cox’s Bazar, have been rescued. Three members of a trafficking ring were also arrested.
This operation was conducted in the Rajarchhara area of Marine Drive on Wednesday. Lieutenant Colonel Ashikur Rahman, Commander of BGB’s Teknaf 2 Battalion, has confirmed the matter.
The BGB claims that the BGB Teknaf Battalion has broken the backbone of the syndicates through two groundbreaking operations in a single day.
They claim that after rescuing hostages from a remote hill in the morning, a swift operation conducted in the Marine Drive beach area at midnight safely rescued 29 victims just as they were about to be trafficked into the deep sea.
The three individuals arrested in the operation are: Md Salim (35), Md Nurul Absar (19), both residents of Maheshkhali Para in Teknaf Sadar, and Mansur Alam (22), a resident of the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhiya.
According to BGB sources, on Wednesday morning, BGB members rescued a group of hostages from a remote hilltop in the Rajarchhara area of Teknaf Sadar Union. Following the leads from that operation, the BGB intensified surveillance on the traffickers’ subsequent activities. Later, during a swift operation in the Marine Drive beach area at night, 29 people were rescued while they were being prepared for trafficking into the deep sea.
Three members of the human trafficking ring were arrested on the spot along with locally made weapons. An engine-powered sampan boat used for trafficking, a motorcycle, and a locally made knife were seized at that time.
The members of the trafficking ring involved in the incident are: Md. Mahmudul Haque (31), Syedul Islam (37), Azizul Haque (30), all residents of the Maheshkhali Para area of Teknaf Sadar Union, and another 6-7 unidentified traffickers.
Lieutenant Colonel Ashikur Rahman, Commander of the Teknaf Battalion (2 BGB), said, “Today has brought bad news for the human traffickers and organised criminal syndicates along the Teknaf border. We rescued hostages from a hilltop at dawn, and we thwarted human trafficking on the seashore at night.”
He said, “The BGB has proven that from the hills to the sea along the Teknaf border, not an inch of space is safe for criminals. We will not tolerate this heinous crime against humanity in any way.”
He informed that the 29 rescued victims would be handed over to the relevant authorities after completing the necessary administrative procedures. A case is being processed against the three arrested human traffickers under the country’s prevailing laws.
The BGB has stated that its operations will continue to protect the security of every citizen and maintain the stability of the border.
