Eighteen Bangladeshis, victims of human trafficking and imprisoned in a scam center in Myanmar, returned home early Wednesday.
A Thai Airways flight brought them to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 12:45 am, with BRAC Migration Programme staff providing urgent assistance, reports UNB.
Shariful Hasan, Associate Director of BRAC’s Migration and Youth Platform, said the victims’ families contacted BRAC for help, prompting them to reach out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the CID, and the Bangladesh Embassy in Thailand.
The rescued individuals are Omar Faruk, Rasheduzzaman Islam, Md Alif, Raihan Sobhan, Sheikh Arman, Md Pavel Chowdhury, Monir Hossain, Md Ismail Hossain, Md Nizam Uddin, Zahir Uddin, Tanveer Akand Rafi, Towanur Khalilullah, Md Syamon Hossain, Md Ujjal Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Md Kaisar Hossain, Md Shah Alam, and Md Akash Ali.
One of the victims, Md Alif from Chattogram, said, “I used to work on a ship in Dubai. I was lured by the promise of a higher salary for a data entry job and taken to Thailand. From there, the traffickers took me to the Thai-Myanmar border in Mass. I was held hostage with many others at gunpoint and sold into a scam center. I was imprisoned there for six months and subjected to severe abuse. I had no choice but to work in the scam center to save my life.”
CID Additional Superintendent of Police Mostafizur Rahman said that key trafficker Iftekharul Islam Rony, facing human trafficking charges in eight cases across various police stations, was arrested on January 18 at Chattogram Airport. Efforts are underway to arrest another key trafficker, Abdullah Al Noman.
Shariful Hasan also said that cyber scams represent a horrific form of human trafficking. Traffickers lure people with promises of high-paying jobs as computer operators, typists, or call center agents through fake websites, emails, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Once victims arrive at scam centers, they are held at gunpoint and forced to participate in fraudulent activities.
He further mentioned that such scams occur in countries including Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, prompting the government to issue warnings about traveling to these countries. Raising awareness about these scams is essential, especially for those planning to work abroad, he stressed.
Bd-pratidin English/FNC
