Nine Rohingyas fleeing from Bhashan Char detained in Noakhali

In this handout aerial photo taken on June 19, 2019 and released on 21 October by Mukta Dinwiddie MacLaren Architects shows buildings intended to accommodate members of the Rohingya refugee community on the silt islet Bhashan Char in the Bay of Bengal.
Photo: AFP

Police have detained nine Rohingya people from Noakhali’s Companiganj upazila after they fled the Bhashan Char Ashrayan project in the districts’ Hatiya upazila.

Two women, four children and three youths were among the detainees.

Locals from Char Kakra union of the districts’ Companiganj nabbed these Rohingyas. They then handed over them to local police.

The detained Rohingyas are -- Nurul Hakim, 24, of Ashrayan project’s cluster no. 83, Omar Farooq, 14, of cluster no. 28, Majeda Begum, 15, of cluster 54, Mumtaz Begum, 20, and Monica Begum, 6, of cluster 71, Hosne Ara, 20, Nur Sadek, 4, and Anwar Sadek, 2, of cluster 14, and Md Jahedullah, 21, of cluster number 63.

Member of ward no. 9 of Charkakra union parishad, Didar Hossain, said nine Rohingyas arrived in Peshkarhat road of Charkakra union from Banglabazar area of the upazila’s Muchpur union by bikes at around 8:45pm on Monday.

As they were roaming around in area, locals suspected them and detained. Later they identified themselves as Rohingya following interrogation, he added.

Didar Hossain further said these Rohingyas claimed to have relatives living in Chakaria of Chattogram and they escaped from Bhasan Char with the help of agents to visit their relatives.

The Rohingyas were handed over to Companiganj police after 10:00pm, he added.

Officer-in-charge of Companiganj police station Sadekur Rahman said having been informed by locals, police detained the nine Rohingyas from the spot and brought them to the police station.

Legal action will be taken against them after consulting with the higher authorities, he added.