Bangladesh film director held in Malaysia for ‘human trafficking’

Malaysian police have detained a Bangladeshi film director, Anonno Mamun, with his assistant Miraz on charge of human trafficking.

The Bangladeshi director was detained on Sunday evening when he went to Malaysia to organise a cultural event, ‘Cinematic Bangladeshi Nights’, in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

Mamun was accused of trafficking 57 people to Malaysia in the name of arranging the cultural event.

Police also held 57 allegedly trafficked people for interrogation.

Bangladesh high commissioner in Malaysia Md Shahidul Islam on Monday said, “We’ve learnt about the incident and we’re looking into the matter. This kind of incident in a foreign country is very embarrassing.”

A team of Bangladeshi artistes including director Debasish Biswas, singer Asif Akbar, film actresses  Ireen, and Mishti Jannat, actors Nirab and Imon, model and actresses Anika Kabir Shokh and Anisha Habib Bhabna and members of musical band Chirkut were there to perform in the programme.

Presenter of the cultural programme Debasish Biswas said “We’ve come to know that Anonno Mamum has brought 57 people to Malaysia in the name of the cultural event. He has taken money from all of them. Each of them has already confessed that to the Malaysian police.”

“A team of Malaysian police has talked with us. We had no idea about this before.”