A young woman who went missing from Naikhongchhari in Bandarban has been rescued from a residential hotel in Cox’s Bazar within 12 hours.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-15 also arrested two members of an alleged human trafficking and abduction ring.
The arrested are Shamsul Alam, 33, of South Fakrikata area under Kachapia union in Ramu upazila, and driver Shah Alam, 34, of Ghatpara Kharulia area under Jhilongja union in Cox’s Bazar Sadar.
RAB-15 Cox’s Bazar Assistant Director (Law and Media) Assistant Superintendent of Police AM Faruk confirmed the matter on Friday afternoon.
RAB said they received information that a 23-year-old woman, who went missing from Naikhongchhari, was being held in a residential hotel in the hotel-motel zone of Cox’s Bazar town.
Acting on the information, a team conducted a raid on Wednesday at around 9:30pm at room 6/C of “Hyperion Sea Pearl” residential hotel in Kolatoli area under Cox’s Bazar Sadar police station.
The team rescued the woman unharmed and arrested the two abductors from the scene. A Noah microbus used in the operation was also seized.
AM Faruk said the arrested individuals are known locally as influential and cunning.
He said they had long formed a syndicate involved in abduction and immoral activities by luring people.
He added that they used Shah Alam’s microbus to abduct victims from remote areas and bring them to tourist zones.
“They appeared respectable in public but operated as members of an organised criminal network behind the scenes,” Faruk said.
He also said a general diary (GD) had earlier been filed at Naikhongchhari Police Station after the woman went missing. The rescue operation was completed within 12 hours of receiving the complaint.
The rescued woman, the arrested suspects and the seized items have been handed over to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Police Station for further legal action.
