RAB arrests 5 alleged members of human trafficking ring

A team of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested five men from Dhaka for their alleged involvement with human trafficking to Saudi Arabia.

The arrestees include Nazrul Islam Milan, 42, the ringleader of the alleged group of human traffickers, and his cohorts Badal Akon, 40, and Md Helal Uddin, 32, according to RAB-3 Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Arif Mohiuddin Ahmed.

They were arrested from the Paltan area of the capital on Monday night during a raid, he said.

RAB officials also seized 10 mobiles, eight ATM cards, three stamps and cash of Tk 25,385 during the operation.

Lt Colonel Arif said the arrestees have allegedly embezzled hundreds of thousands of taka by frauding aspiring migrants.

He said the alleged traffickers would tempt aspiring migrants in giving them money by offering lucrative fake jobs in Saudi Arabia despite having no licence to export manpower. 

However, when the migrants would reach Saudi Arabia, the associates of the arrested traffickers there would take away everything including passports and money from the victims. Furthermore, the alleged criminals would hold them hostage, torture them and demand ransom from their family members.

When families of the victims went to the local unit of the ring asking for help, the alleged traffickers would harass them instead of cooperating, said the RAB officer, adding that the members of the ring even gave death threats to the victims’ relatives for seeking help from law enforcement agencies.