Police have arrested a top-listed human trafficker and the primary suspect in the recent Andaman Sea trawler capsize during a raid in Teknaf.
The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Shaker Mia, alias Shaker Majhi, was apprehended on Tuesday afternoon in the Mundar Deil area of Sabrang Union. Shaker Majhi is a resident of Ward No. 1 within the same union.
Md. Saiful Islam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Teknaf Model Police Station, stated that the arrest followed a one-hour special operation conducted with the assistance of information technology and secret tips. According to the OC, Shaker Majhi is notorious as one of Teknaf’s most prominent human trafficking kingpins.
He is accused of being the mastermind behind the deep-sea trawler sinking near the Andaman Islands on April 9, an incident that has been widely discussed across social media and news outlets.
Police records indicate that Shaker Majhi faces a total of 11 cases at Teknaf Model Police Station, including charges related to human trafficking, narcotics, firearms, and smuggling. Legal proceedings against him are currently in progress.
The April 9 tragedy came to light when the Bangladeshi-flagged oil tanker, ‘MT Meghna Pride’, rescued nine survivors – comprising six Bangladeshis and three Rohingyas – who were found floating in the deep sea.
The survivors had managed to stay alive by clinging to wooden planks and plastic water drums. They were later handed over to Teknaf Model Police Station via the Bangladesh Coast Guard.
The rescued Bangladeshis have been identified as: Md. Hamid (33) and Md. Akbar (32) from Cox’s Bazar Sadar; Md. Mohiuddin Hridoy (42) from Mirsarai, Chattogram; Md. Tofail (27) from Baharchhara, Teknaf; Md. Sohan Uddin (32) from Whykong; Md. Syed Alam (27) from Teknaf Sadar.
The rescued Rohingya nationals from the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia are Md. Rafiqul Islam (24), Rahela Begum (25), and Md. Imran (17).
Following the arrest, relatives of those still missing from the Andaman Sea incident have called for the immediate identification and prosecution of Shaker Majhi’s associates.
Local community leaders have also urged the authorities to take more stringent action against the various trafficking syndicates operating across Shah Porir Dwip, Sabrang, Teknaf Sadar, and Baharchhara.
