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Two madrasa students, kidnapped in Teknaf on Friday, were rescued the next day as they were about to be trafficked to Malaysia by sea.

The abduction of the two boys, allegedly by human traffickers, serves as a wake-up call to the authorities.

The incident indicates that whatever steps the government took did little to check human trafficking; rather the crime seems to have been on the rise in recent times.

Trafficking by sea to Thailand and Malaysia has been brought under the spotlight by the international media.

People trafficked through the route end up working for Thai fish industry or in Malaysia for a little pay or nothing at all, The Guardian revealed.

The rapidly growing economies of Thailand and Malaysia require a huge labour force that can hardly be met by the manpower the countries have, say the media reports. 

In the latest incident in Teknaf, Border Guard Bangladesh rescued the two boys along with two fortune seekers from the house of a manpower broker, Khuilla Mia, at Quainchhori around 10:00pm on Saturday.

The other two victims -- Mohammad Ishaq, 23, and Nurul Islam, 22, from Budhpara in Cox's Bazar -- wished to go to Malaysia for employment.

The BGB arrested Khuilla and two other brokers -- Md Yunus of Quainchhori and Nuruzzaman of Ukhiya.

“If the BGB personnel had made any delay, we would have been forced to board the boat leaving for Malaysia,” said Mohammad Yusuf, 15, one of the abducted kids.

Yusuf was kidnapped along with his classmate Mohammad Ibrahim, 16, on their way to Madrasa-e-Ashrafiya Kashemul Ulum at Mithapanirchhara in Teknaf.

Ibrahim's father Farid Ahmed said both the boys stay in the madrasa dormitory. They come to their houses in Lombori at the weekend for having lunch.

“They were kidnapped around 4:00pm on Friday while they were returning to their dormitory,” said Farid.

In the evening, their family members and teachers found that they had gone missing. Their parents came to know about the abduction at night when the kidnappers contacted them over mobile phones.

They took up the matter with the 42 BGB Battalion's Commanding Officer Abu Zar Al Zahid, as the abductors asked the two families to arrange Tk 3 lakh each to be paid in ransom once the boys reached Thailand.  

“We were shaken to the core … We are scared even now,” Farid told this correspondent after the BGB rescued his son.

Yusuf said the brokers beat them up after they were taken to a house.

“With our hands and legs tied, we were confined to a room. The brokers also painted 'AA' on our hands,” he said. 

Mokter Hossain, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station, said, “People from areas other than Cox's Bazar and Teknaf come here willingly to go to Malaysia by sea.”

“The brokers usually bring the fortune seekers, saying the journey is safe and that they would get a good job once they are in Malaysia.

“But the fact is all these people, who come here willingly or are brought against their will, become captives of the traffickers in coastal areas. They are not allowed to leave,” said Mokter.

He couldn't say how many brokers were active in the area, but said 49 cases were filed with his police station over trafficking since January. And seven of the cases are related to abduction.

The rescued victims were released after they testified before a magistrate. The three brokers were sent to jail in the case filed by the BGB for abduction and human trafficking.

Sub-inspector of Teknaf Police Station Sanaul Islam, also investigating officer in the case, said the two boys were taken to Khuilla's house after the abduction.

Khuilla is also an accused in a robbery case, he added.