A member of a human trafficking ring, which repatriates people from Libya, has been arrested. The gang illegally transported 400–500 Bangladeshi nationals from Libya to Italy using four boats, leaving them in distress.
Members of Biman Bangladesh Airlines are also involved in the ring, CID Police have confirmed.
CID stated that 175 Bangladeshi citizens returned to the country on Thursday morning via an outpass provided by the Bangladesh High Commission in Tripoli, Libya. They arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a charter flight.
During passenger interrogations and the filling of forms prescribed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police, with assistance from the National Security Intelligence (NSI), arrested a member of the human trafficking ring. The arrested individual is a named accused in human trafficking cases filed at the airport and Kishoreganj Sadar Police Station.
The arrested accused is Sakhawat Hossain (42), a resident of Feni district.
CID Special Police Superintendent (Media) Jasim Uddin Khan stated that during initial interrogation, the accused Sakhawat Hossain admitted to illegally transporting 400–500 Bangladeshi nationals to Italy from Libya using four boats. Through this, he amassed a significant amount of money.
The interrogation also revealed information about several other human traffickers and accomplices, including Md Shaukat Ali (47), a traffic helper at Biman Bangladesh Airlines, who is a resident of Bhanga Thana in Faridpur district.
Additionally, the names of 4–5 unidentified accomplices have emerged during the investigation. They were active in trafficking victims by luring them with promises of a better life abroad, as well as in detaining them and extorting ransom.
