Joint security forces launched a fresh operation in the remote hills of Teknaf upazila in Cox’s Bazar on Saturday to dismantle human trafficking dens and secret detention camps.
The operation began at 7:30am in Leda-Ronggikhali under Hnila union. More than 150 members of the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Bangladesh Police are taking part in the drive, led by the Army’s 10 Infantry Division.
The crackdown follows a raid in the same area on Thursday, during which 57 hostages were rescued and five members of a human trafficking syndicate were detained.
A gunfight broke out during Thursday’s operation, leaving 27-year-old Army soldier Mohammad Titas Sheikh fatally wounded. He was buried with full state honours in his native village in Nagarkanda, Faridpur, on Friday evening.
The 57 rescued individuals, including 51 Bangladeshis and six Rohingya, were handed over to their families at Teknaf Model Police Station on Friday.
Meanwhile, reports emerged of three more bodies in the Ronggikhali hills. Rescued victim Shahidul Islam said he had heard that several people were killed in the gunfight and had personally seen three bodies near the detention camp. However, he could not confirm whether they were traffickers or victims who had tried to escape.
Another rescued victim, Asaduzzaman, said he was brought to Cox’s Bazar with the promise of a job but held captive in a secret hill camp for eight days. More than 50 people were held there under armed guard, and their mobile phones and belongings were taken away. He said two attempts to escape had failed.
Cox’s Bazar Superintendent of Police ANM Sajedur Rahman said police had received reports of three bodies in the hills but could not confirm them until they were recovered. He said the matter was being investigated and joint operations would continue until human trafficking networks were dismantled.
According to local and rescued victims, traffickers have long used Teknaf’s remote hills to hold people for ransom or forcibly smuggle them overseas.
