DHAKA: Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained 16 members of a trafficking gang, including it ringleader, and seized a total of 2,295 passports from the city.

Lieutenant Colonel Khandakar Golam Sarwar of RAB-3 disclosed the details at a press conference in city’s Tikatuli area around 12:15am Wednesday.

Sarwar said that a team of RAB nabbed them in city’s Malibagh Chowdhury Para around 7:00pm Tuesday. They had been trafficking people under the shadow of ‘Golam Rabbi International Agency and Travels’ for several days.

The licenses of this manpower recruiting agency expired on December 31, 2014. The Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry did not renew the license on ground of trafficking allegation.

Upon receiving several allegations, a team of RAB led by Major Kamran Kqabir Uddin conducted drives and nabbed a total of 16 people, including the owner of the agency.

The detainees are M Ali, 43, M Mahbubur Ragman, 33, M Ishak Khan, 29, M Monirul Islam, 42, M Kamal Hossain, 32, Abdullah Al Mahmud, 33, Kadir Khan, 43, Abdul Mannan, 58, Raju Ahmed, 32, Shahidul Islam, 35, M Sohel, 24, Razia Sultana, 36, Ainal Haque, 32 and Nayamat Ullah, 40.

Sarwar said that most of the seized passports belong to women. The agency had trafficked female workers abroad for forced prostitution.

To send workers abroad, a manpower recruiting agency needs to form a team with at least eight members. But this agency had no such team. They mostly smuggled manpower saying that people concerned are going abroad on personal tour.
 
However, the victims can get back their passport through court’s order, said Sarwar.

BDST: 1229 HRS, JUN 10, 2015
HB/RS/SMS