CID arrests human trafficker linked to Libyan mafia exploiting Bangladeshi migrants

Police have arrested a key member of a transnational human trafficking network that lured two Bangladeshi youths with promises of high-paying jobs in Greece, only to traffic them to Libya, where they were tortured and held for ransom.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said Mohammad Nazir, son of Mozzafar Ali of Idhanpur village under Doarabazar police station in Sunamganj, was arrested around 3:30pm on Wednesday near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Two additional human trafficking cases linked to him are under investigation, highlighting his deep involvement in cross-border exploitation networks.

According to CID Special Superintendent of Police (Media) Jasim Uddin Khan, the operation was orchestrated by Md Sharif Uddin, a Greece-based Bangladeshi who returned home last year. Sharif allegedly offered the two victims "lucrative jobs" in Greece. Each agreed to pay Tk15 lakh, initially handing over Tk2 lakh and their passports.

Instead of Greece, Sharif arranged for the men to be flown to Libya in July via Dubai and Egypt. Upon arrival, a network associate received them and transferred them to armed mafia operatives, who tortured the victims and seized all their money. The gang also recorded evidence of their suffering to pressure their families. Nazir coordinated ransom demands from Bangladesh, extorting Tk21.8 lakh from one family and Tk16 lakh from the other.

Even after collecting the ransom, the youths were not released but handed over to Libyan police. They were detained for 45 days and finally returned to Bangladesh on 29 August with assistance from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

On 4 December, one of the victims filed a case under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act at Haziganj Police Station in Chandpur. CID identified Nazir's location while investigating the case and arrested him. During preliminary questioning, Nazir admitted his role. Investigators said the syndicate has so far collected about Tk3.5 crore from 19 victims. Nine have returned to Bangladesh with IOM's help, while the rest remain detained by Libyan mafia groups.

Authorities warned that Libya remains a major hub for human trafficking, where migrants are routinely held in secret detention facilities run by militias and criminal groups. Bangladeshi migrants are especially vulnerable due to unemployment and the lure of European jobs, which traffickers exploit with false promises.