11 indigenous girls rescued in Cox's Bazar

Detectives rescued 11 indigenous teenage girls along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox's Bazar's Teknaf area yesterday.

Police said the victims, aged between 12 and 14, were from Bandarban's Rowangchhari and Sadar upazilas. They studied at Mitingachhari Buddhist temple in Rangamati's Kaptai area and stayed at a hostel there.

On February 26, Usiri Bhikkhu (monk), head of the temple, sent the girls to a temple at Mongdu in Myanmar so that they could attend a funeral ceremony of a monk there, said the victims.

Their families in the meantime contacted Usiri to know about the girls. Failing to find a satisfactory answer from Usiri about the girls' whereabouts, Sang Pua Marma, one of the victim's fathers, filed a human trafficking case with Rowangchhari Police Station on March 11.

Police arrested the Usiri the same day, said Omar Ali, officer-in-charge of the police station.

In Myanmar, the girls stayed at Naicha Dong Buddhist temple, police said.

Yesterday, a team of detectives led by Manzur Alam, officer-in-charge of Bandarban Detective Branch of police, rescued the girls along the Myanmar border in Cox's Bazar's Teknaf area with the help of Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP).

Manzur claimed that they sent a letter to the BGP on March 17, informing them about the girls. “They [the BGP] communicated with Charana Bhikkhu, head of Naicha Dong Buddhist temple, who then arranged the girls' return,” said the OC.

Victim Pai Nu Ching Marma said they attended the funeral ceremony of a monk in Mongdu.

She said Chara Na Bhikkhu, head of the Buddhist temple in Myanmar, arranged their accommodation at the temple's hostel where around 414 other Myanmarese children study.

“Charana promised us to provide quality education and wanted to keep us there. But we wanted to return home,” said another victim Ma Thoai Ching Marma.

“The victims would be sent to Bandarban Sadar Hospital for medical tests tomorrow [today]”, OC Manzur added.