Coast Guard rescues 44 from 'secret detention camp' in Teknaf hills

The Bangladesh Coast Guard has rescued 44 people, including women and children, from a "secret detention camp" deep in the hills of Baharchhara in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar.

The victims had been gathered there to be trafficked to Malaysia by sea, according to the paramilitary force.

Lt Commander Md Salahuddin Rashid Tanvir, station commander of the Coast Guard's Teknaf unit, shared the information at a press briefing in Teknaf today (24 October).

He said no traffickers could be arrested during the raid, as they fled the scene upon sensing the Coast Guard's presence.

According to him, the coast guard received a tip-off last night that several people, including women and children, had been assembled in a remote hilly area of Baharchhara union's Pinishbhanga with the intention of trafficking them to Malaysia by sea.

Acting on the information, a coast guard team launched an operation in the area between 2am and 7am today.

"As our team surrounded the suspected hideout, 7-8 men managed to escape under cover of darkness," he said.

"Later, from the top of the hill, we rescued 44 people who had been confined there in the traffickers' secret camp," he added.

The official further said that several organised trafficking networks remain active along the Teknaf coastline.

"These syndicates lure both Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya refugees with promises of high-paying jobs abroad, better living conditions, and cheap or even free migration to Malaysia. Once gathered, the victims are detained and often tortured to extort ransom money," he said.

The rescued individuals have been handed over to Teknaf police to be reunited with their families.

According to the Bangladesh Coast Guard, a total of 347 victims have been rescued and 47 traffickers arrested in similar anti-trafficking operations over the past month.