CID nabs ‘human trafficker’ at Dhaka airport
He was found on the Libya repatriation flight this morning
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), in collaboration with the National Security Intelligence (NSI), today (21 August) arrested an active member of an alleged human trafficking ring at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA).
The suspect, identified as Sakhawat Hossain, 42, of Feni sadar upazila, was arrested around 6:31am.
He was among the 175 Bangladeshis who returned to the country on a chartered flight from Libya's capital, Tripoli, with outpasses provided by the Bangladesh High Commission.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The arrest was made during the questioning of passengers and the recording of their information on forms provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
According to the CID, Sakhawat has been involved in running a mafia syndicate and abductions in Libya for a long time. There is a human trafficking case filed against him at the Airport Police Station, and he is also linked to another case filed with the Kishoreganj Sadar Police Station.
During the preliminary interrogation, Sakhawat confessed to having attempted to send 400 to 500 Bangladeshis from Libya to Italy by boat, earning a large sum of money in the process.
He also revealed the names of several accomplices, including Md Shawkat Ali, 47, a traffic helper for Biman Bangladesh Airlines, and four to five other unidentified associates.
These accomplices were involved in luring victims with promises of a better life abroad, then trafficking them, holding them captive, and extorting ransom.
CID stated that its special operation to combat human trafficking is ongoing and that all members of the syndicate will be brought to justice swiftly.
A total of 175 Bangladeshi migrants were repatriated this morning through a chartered Buraq Air flight, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The repatriation efforts were jointly coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
