We often hear youths are detained while going to Europe via Lybia or while crossing the sea. Those who are lured by the agents and sell their property to go abroad for a better future are held hostage by the agents and face terrible ordeal. The brokers inflicted inhumane torture on these ill-fated migrants to realise ransom.
Members of four families of the victims said that for two or three days, they have been receiving calls from unfamiliar mobile numbers. The agents are asking for Tk 850,000. They talked for about a minute from Libya.
Victims' family members said they have been living in fear since they got the call.
It's not just the young people who want to travel to Europe via Libya that are being fallen victims of fraudulence. The agents are taking thousands from victims in the name of taking them to Malaysia. The gang is reported to be disappearing after dropping off the victims at St. Martin's Island in a trawler.
There are members of this gang in different points to receive and drop these victims. Yet these young people can never reach the destination. Recently, a young man named Jewel was taken on a domestic flight in the name of taking him to Singapore. He was actually taken to Chattogram instead.
According to media reports, Rohingyas are being picked up from different ghats of Chakaria and Maheshkhali in Cox's Bazar and taken by sea for three to four days. There are allegations that the two powerful syndicates are splitting into six groups and taking millions of taka from people in the name of sending them to Malaysia by sea.
They are being picked up in trawlers from various coastal areas and dropped on nearby islands including St. Martin after wandering several days on sea. Appalling thing is they are leaving many in the mountains and forests bordering Malaysia.
This shocking information is coming out after the arrest of five members of the human trafficking ring. The godfathers of the human trafficking ring are taking millions of taka from people in the name of sending them abroad by sea. In two installments a minimum of Tk 200,000 to 600,000 is being collected from each.
Recently, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) raided Banshkhali and Pekua areas of Chattogram and Cox's Bazar districts and arrested five people including four ringleaders in response to the complaint of the victims. Earlier, many Bangladeshis were stranded in many Middle Eastern countries, including Libya. It is not enough to rescue these Bangladeshis. It is important to bring the agents involved in human trafficking under the law and take stern actions. The people want to know what the government agencies are doing in this regard, how many traffickers are being punished.