Bangladesh Coast Guard and Bangladesh Navy in a joint operation on Thursday night rescued 66 people, including women and children, held captive in the remote hills of Teknaf for trafficking.
The operation was carried out between 6:00pm and 10:00pm Thursday in a hilly area a聽Baharchhara union of Teknaf upzila in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, said a press release issued on Friday.
According to the coast guard officials, among those rescued were 23 women, 22 men and 21 children.
The Coast Guard Bangladesh headquarters鈥� media officer Lieutenant Commander Siam ul Haque said that the operation was carried out based on intelligence.
鈥榃e learned that a large number of people were being held captive with the intention of trafficking them to Malaysia by sea,鈥� he said.
According to the Coast Guard Bangladesh, trafficking syndicates had lured Bangladeshi nationals and Myanmar nationals of Rohingya community from Teknaf and other places across the country with promises of high-paying jobs.
Some of the rescued individuals said that they were offered low-cost or free passage to Malaysia, with repayment expected after employment.
They were confined in secret hideouts in the hills, awaiting transportation via boat.
The victims also alleged that the traffickers held them captive and tried to extort ransom through torture, said the coast guard press release.
The release also said that no arrest was made as the traffickers managed to flee the scene.
Intelligence surveillance and operations by the Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard are ongoing to arrest them, added the press release.
