A joint operation by Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard has rescued 39 abducted people, including women and children, and arrested two human trafficking suspects from the hills of Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar.
According to an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) media release issued on Friday, the operation followed secret information on Thursday night that a gang of abductors and human traffickers had detained several people, including women and children, in Kachhapia hills of Baharchhara union, of the upazila, to extort ransom and smuggle them to Malaysia.
Later, Navy’s specialised SWADS commando unit, along with Coast Guard teams conducted the joint drive and rescued the abducted people from the dens of the traffickers.
Sensing the presence of the law enforcer, the traffickers tried to flee but two of them were rounded up.
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The rescued people include 18 Rohingya women, 11 Rohingya men, 8 Rohingya children, and 2 Bangladeshi men.
Survivors said the traffickers lured victims with promises of foreign employment or held them at gunpoint, demanding ransom and seizing large sums of money.
The rescued people were handed over to their families and legal action was underway against the arrested traffickers.
Since September 18 this year, the Navy has rescued a total of 134 people in various joint operations.