Key ringleader of human trafficking syndicate arrested in Dhaka

The Special Response Battalion (SRB) has arrested a key ringleader of an international human trafficking syndicate accused of defrauding people with promises of sending them to European countries, including Italy.

Mohammad Arju Rahman, 47, was arrested in Dhaka yesterday (28 September) based on information from the National Security Intelligence (NSI).

The SRB said analysis of one of his bank accounts found transactions totalling Tk1,70,75,450 over the past year.

SRB-4 Commanding Officer Lt Col Md Hafizur Rahman disclosed the information at a press conference at the SRB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar this afternoon (29 September).

He said Arju had been living in Egypt for a long time and was under continuous surveillance. He returned to Bangladesh a few days ago and was planning to leave for Egypt on Thursday (1 October).

A joint team of SRB-4 and SRB-1 arrested him from Banani C Block, following intelligence provided by the NSI.

According to the SRB, the syndicate defrauded victims by promising high-paying jobs in European countries.

Arju allegedly collected nearly Tk85 lakh from several people, including Kamrun Nahar, Fatema, Anjuman Ara, Parvez, Firoz and Mehedi Hasan, with promises of sending them to Italy through Serbia and Belarus.

The investigation began on 16 July after trafficking victim Kamrun Nahar contacted the NSI for assistance, the SRB said.

Investigators found that the syndicate initially sent victims to Asian and Middle Eastern countries. They were later taken to Egypt and Libya through Nepal or Sri Lanka and allegedly promised passage to Europe through dangerous sea routes.

Three victims trafficked through the scheme eventually returned to Bangladesh, while Kamrun Nahar remained in Egypt and Anjuman Ara in Sri Lanka before contacting the NSI, according to the SRB.

Since Arju's arrest, 30-35 alleged victims from different parts of the country have contacted the SRB, the force said.

The SRB said around 300 more victims are in contact with intelligence agencies over the issue. Based on complaints, cases and information gathered so far, the preliminary estimate is that more than 2,000 Bangladeshis may have been defrauded or trafficked by the syndicate.

Victims were allegedly charged Tk20-25 lakh each, with some paying up to Tk40 lakh, on the pretext of sending them to Europe, the SRB said.

According to preliminary interrogation and information gathered by the force, Arju has allegedly been involved in illegal manpower recruitment and human trafficking for around 12 years.

He allegedly operated overseas recruitment activities at different times using the names of unlicensed agencies, including "Arju Immigration Limited" and "Nafis Air Immigration Limited".

The SRB said the syndicate targeted unemployed young people from different parts of Bangladesh and women from remote areas with promises of high-paying jobs.

The force also alleged that the syndicate trafficked women abroad using fake visas and forged documents and, in some cases, subjected them to coercion and abuse.

Written complaints and victim testimonies included allegations that some women were held hostage, physically assaulted and burned with cigarettes when they refused to comply with the traffickers' demands, the SRB said.

The SRB said it had arrested 223 people across the country on human trafficking charges in operations conducted from 2025 to 29 September 2026.