Cops to sue 70 for human trafficking

Police will file cases against 70 alleged traffickers and brokers from 14 districts in connection with the trafficking of 155 people who were repatriated from Myanmar on Wednesday.

All the cases will be filed with the respective police stations in the districts as the victims disclosed details of the suspected traffickers, Shamol Kumar Nath, SP of Cox's Bazar, said yesterday.

“The 155 returnees gave important information about their organised human trafficking business in 14 districts,” he told The Daily Star.

After the filing of the cases, raids will be carried out in the districts to detain 70 alleged traffickers and brokers, he added.

The SP, however, did not divulge their identities for the sake of investigation.  

Sources at the police said, all the suspected traffickers and brokers are from Cox's Bazar, Narayanganj, Sirajganj, Madaripur, Jhenidah, Pabna, Chuadanga, Jessore, Sunamganj, Magura, Comilla, Kushtia, Joypurhat, and Satkhira districts.

On Wednesday, Myanmar sent 155 trafficking victims back to Bangladesh, more than a month after rescuing them from a boat stranded at the Bay of Bengal.

Of the 155 returnees, nine were identified as children.

In order to verify their nationalities for the second time, police sent them to a temporary camp at the Cox's Bazar Cultural Centre.

Meanwhile, all the victims have returned to their homes from the camp with the assistance of the Red Crescent, UNHCR and Cox's Bazar district administration.

So far, 342 trafficking victims have been repatriated from Myanmar.