Coast Guard, RAB rescue 32 people from trafficking attempt in Teknaf
A joint operation by the Coast Guard and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Baharchhara, Teknaf, rescued 32 people, including women, men and children, who were allegedly being held for trafficking to Malaysia by sea.
Coast Guard Media Officer Lt Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan disclosed the information at noon on Sunday, 8 March 2026.
He said that, based on intelligence, law enforcers learned that a group of women, men and children had been kept in a papaya garden adjacent to LGED Road in the Noakhali Jummapara area of Baharchhara under Teknaf police station in Cox's Bazar.
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According to the Coast Guard, the victims were being held there by an alleged trafficker, Md Abdul Ali, for the purpose of sending them to Malaysia by sea.
Following the tip-off, Coast Guard Outpost Baharchhara and RAB conducted a joint drive in the area at around 2:00am on Sunday.
During the operation, 32 victims, including women, men and children, were rescued from the garden, the Coast Guard said. However, no arrests could be made as the traffickers fled after sensing the presence of the joint forces.
During preliminary questioning, the rescued people said several organised trafficking gangs had been trying to lure Bangladeshi and Rohingya people from different parts of the country, including Cox's Bazar, with promises of a better life, high-paying jobs and low-cost travel to Malaysia by sea.
