Promised Italy, trafficked to Egypt: Two women recount months of abuse

The woman held up part of her body in front of the camera. There were several dark marks on it. She said the injuries were caused by cigarette burns. She was beaten for refusing to engage in illicit activities and was threatened with having videos of the abuse posted on social media.

A Bangladeshi woman who fell victim to human trafficking made these allegations in a video recently sent to the National Security Intelligence (NSI) from a safe house in Egypt. Another woman trafficked by the same network made almost identical allegations. They said they had been confined for months after paying millions of taka on the promise that they would be sent to Italy.

Eventually, the two women escaped one night when no one was at the house. They could not take their passports, mobile phones or necessary documents with them. They allege that those items are still in the hands of the trafficking network.

The names of the two women have been withheld for their safety and privacy.

At the centre of the allegations is Mohammad Arzu Rahman, 47. Based on information from the NSI, the Special Response Battalion (SRB) arrested him from Banani in the capital on Monday. The force said he is one of the masterminds of an international human trafficking network.

According to one of the women, she had been promised that she would be sent legally to Italy. The accused initially treated them well, she said. They were told that after being taken from Bangladesh to Egypt, the necessary procedures would be completed at the Italian embassy, after which they would be sent to Italy legally.

Trusting this assurance, the woman left Bangladesh. But she alleged that the situation changed after she arrived in Egypt. She said she had been kept there for about a year and a half. Her passport and mobile phone were taken away. Another Bangladeshi woman was kept in the same room. She alleged that they were then subjected to mental and physical abuse.

In the video, the woman said, “They kept us confined inside the room. They took away my mobile phone and passport.” She then made more serious allegations. According to her, some men from outside were brought in and the women were physically abused. They were also allegedly forced to do things they did not agree to.

The woman alleged that she was beaten for refusing. At one point, pointing to the marks on her body, she said, “Look here, they burned me with cigarettes.”

The SRB has also received allegations that the network held women hostage, forced them into illicit activities, subjected them to physical and mental abuse and burned their bodies with cigarettes.

The woman alleged that videos were recorded while they were being abused. Those videos were then allegedly used to silence them. They were told that if they disclosed what had happened, the videos would be posted on social media and their families' reputations would be ruined. Out of fear, they did not tell anyone for a long time.

The woman said, “I did not say anything out of fear for our honour. I endured it. I was only waiting for an opportunity to escape.”

According to the allegations, the threats continued even after they escaped. Their photographs, videos and other documents remain with the network, they said. They are being threatened with harm to themselves and their family members using those materials.

The woman said that although they had remained silent for so long, they no longer felt they could remain silent.

Describing her situation as having her “back against the wall”, she said that remaining silent out of fear for their honour would allow the perpetrators to escape accountability.

The two women had been looking for an opportunity to escape for a long time. One night, no one was present at the house where they were being kept. They decided it was time to leave. They escaped together under cover of darkness. In their haste, they had to leave behind their passports, mobile phones and many other belongings.

The victims then took shelter at another house. They said they contacted their family members and the Bangladesh embassy from there. Their family members also lodged complaints in Bangladesh.

In the video, one of the women showed the place where they were staying and said they were now living an “unbearable life”.

According to the SRB, several victims living abroad had informed their family members through video messages about the physical and mental abuse they had suffered. The agency has also received information that several more women are being held in Egypt.

The account of the other woman reveals another aspect of the alleged fraud. She said Tk 600,000 was initially taken from her on the promise of sending her abroad. Later, the USD 1,000 she had with her was also taken. She estimated that she had lost about Tk 700,000 in total.

She said another woman had initially paid Tk 1.1 million and was later made to hand over another USD 3,000. When the dollars were taken, they were told that their visas would be issued within a week. But the visas never came.

The woman alleged that the abuse intensified after that. She said they were beaten whenever they asked to be taken to the embassy or for arrangements to be made for Italian visas. “We said, ‘Take us to the embassy.’ As soon as we said that, they started beating us again,” she said.

The second woman said they were also told while being held that they could be sold to someone else. This increased their fear. She said she personally heard them talking about “selling” them. After that, she no longer felt it was safe to remain there.

The first woman made similar allegations. She said many other women had been brought from Bangladesh and held in Egypt. Some were allegedly forced into illicit activities, while attempts were made to hand others over to different brokers.

The SRB said the network targeted unemployed young people and women from remote areas of Bangladesh. They were promised high-paying jobs in Europe and allegedly made to pay large sums of money.

The accounts of the two women and information from the SRB reveal a pattern in the alleged trafficking operation. Initially, people were lured with promises of well-paid jobs in Europe, particularly Italy, or of travelling there legally. Money was collected in the name of visas and other documents. But after they left Bangladesh, the planned destination would change.

According to the SRB, some victims were told they would be taken to Italy via Serbia and Belarus. They allegedly paid around Tk 8.5 million. Later, they were promised that they would be sent to different countries in Asia and the Middle East, then taken to Egypt or Libya via Nepal or Sri Lanka and eventually to Europe by dangerous sea routes.

The two women never reached Europe. In the words of one of them, they were brought to Egypt after being promised Italy and “left there on Egyptian soil”.

In the video, the second woman repeatedly demanded the return of the money they had paid. She said they came from impoverished families and had struggled to raise the money in the hope of earning abroad.

“We are helpless women, poor people,” she said, appealing to the government to arrange for the money to be returned. But their statements showed that their safety was an even greater concern than the money.

They are still abroad. They do not have their passports. At the same time, according to their allegations, the people they accused still have their personal photographs and videos.

The first woman said, “We escaped somehow with our lives.”

The SRB said that after Arzu Rahman was arrested, 30 to 35 victims from different parts of the country contacted them. Many of them had escaped from dangerous situations and returned home. Around 300 more victims have contacted the NSI.

After reviewing cases, complaints and other information, law enforcement agencies initially believe that more than 2,000 Bangladeshis may have fallen victim to fraud and human trafficking through this network.

The SRB said Tk 2 million to Tk 2.5 million was charged per person for sending them to Europe, with some paying as much as Tk 4 million.

According to information obtained during preliminary interrogation, the SRB said Arzu Rahman had been involved in such activities for about 12 years. Transactions worth over Tk 17 million were found in one of his bank accounts over the past year. Arzu Rahman has been handed over to police. The SRB said an investigation is under way to identify and arrest his other associates.

The two women trafficked by the network are now waiting to return home. In the words of one of the women in Egypt, they remained silent for so long “out of fear for their honour”. Now they want to return home safely and see those who put them through this ordeal brought to justice.