2 sentenced to life for trafficking woman to India under guise of Sundarbans tour
Additionally, each convict has been fined Tk50,000
A Faridpur court has sentenced two women to life term imprisonment for trafficking a woman to India under the false pretense of a trip to the Sundarbans.
The convicted individuals are Maksuda Bibi (48) and Morzina Begum alias Sonali (30).
Additionally, each convict has been fined Tk50,000.
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The verdict was delivered today (18 June) afternoon by Judge Shamima Parvin of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal (District and Sessions Judge) in Faridpur.
However, both convicts were absent during the announcement, as they are currently absconding.
Maksuda Bibi, from Boishali village in Satkhira district, was living in a rented house in Faridpur's Kanaipur area and working at a local jute mill when the events unfolded.
Her accomplice in a human trafficking scheme was Morzina Begum alias Sonali, a resident of Hotcharipur in Munshiganj. Investigations revealed Morzina's direct involvement in assisting Maksuda.
Maksuda befriended two sisters who also worked at the Kanaipur jute mill. On 8 May 2012, Maksuda persuaded the elder sister to travel with her to Satkhira, claiming a family event and promising a trip to the Sundarbans.
Soon after, the victim's mother, Raziya Begum, tried to contact her daughter but found both the victim's and Maksuda's phones switched off. Later, an unknown caller from India informed the younger sister that her elder sister had been trafficked and sold in India.
He added that the victim was in police custody at the time.
Eventually, through the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association office in Dhaka, the family confirmed her location.
The woman was rescued by Indian police during a raid on 18 May 2012.
Following these revelations, Raziya Begum filed a case at Faridpur Kotwali Police Station on 29 May 2012.
The trafficked woman has since returned to Bangladesh and is currently residing in the country.
Commenting on the verdict, Public Prosecutor Advocate Golam Rabbani Bhuiyan Ratan said that after examining all witnesses and hearing arguments, the court found the two women guilty of trafficking.
"We are satisfied with the verdict. It upholds the rule of law and delivers justice for the victim," he added.
