Migrants dropped in St. Martin after promising to be sent to Malaysia: RAB

A gang of human traffickers would take poor aspirant migrants in trawler and drop them in St. Martin Island after collecting money and promising them to send to Malaysia, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has said.

Victims would return home after failing to trace any member of the gang.

The RAB made the disclosure after arresting five members of human trafficking gang.

They are: Md Islmail, Shafiul Alam, Riaz Khan, Md Hossain and Yunus Maji.

RAB-7 made the arrest after conducting operations in Chattogram and Cox's Bazar on Sunday night.

Chattogram RAB-7 assistant director (Media) Nurul Absar said Ismail and Shafiul are key members of the gang. They are brothers. There are seven cases against each of them with different police stations under the human trafficking law.

The gang makes passports for poor people of Pekua of Cox's Bazar and Bashkhali of Chattogram promising them to send to Malaysia. Later they would board them in a trawler. Earlier, their signatures in blank stamps were taken. Before boarding in trawler, their passports were taken away. They were told that their passports will be handed over after reaching in Malaysia. But they were got down in St. Martin Island instead of taking to Malaysia.

Victim Joynal Abedin said he went to Riaz Khan for making passport. At the time Riaz offered him to send to Malaysia in low cost. He took Tk 15,000 for making passport. Later he took Tk 100,000 for sending to Malaysia.

The gang also took money from 15 to 20 people. Later, they were boarded in a trawler from a ghat of Pekua for taking them to Malaysia. Later they were got down in St. Martin Island. None dared to sue them in fear.

RAB official Nurul Absar said the gang collected ransom by abducting people abroad.

Arrested Hossain's son Md Emran collected extortion in Mozambique. Victim Moktar Ali migrated to Mozambique through the gang. Emran collected Tk 780,000 from Moktar and confined him there.

Emran asked Moktar to give the money to his father Hossain. Moktar's family handed over the money to Hossain.

Arrested accused admit they have embezzled thousands of taka from poor people promising them to send to Malaysia and members of the gang abroad collected money as ransom.