They trafficked people for organs
Police have arrested a member of a transnational syndicate that is trafficking women from Bangladesh to India and the Middle East.
The syndicate used to lure victims by promising lucrative jobs via online apps, Harun Or Rashid, additional commissioner (detective branch) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said yesterday.
If someone fell into their trap, they used to send the victim first to Satkhira only to be trafficked later to India, he added.
"These victims were then exploited for different purposes, including organ trade," he said, adding that the syndicate has been in operation for a long period.
"At least 100 girls have fallen victim to their activities so far," he added.
The Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested the syndicate member, Kabir Hossain, 36, near the Bangladesh-India border in Satkhira on Tuesday.
During the drive, police rescued two victims, Shima Akter, 27, and her son Nabab Sheikh, 10, who were in the process of being trafficked to India.
Detectives made the breakthrough while investigating a case filed with the Hazaribagh Police Station in Dhaka regarding two missing girls, aged 14 and 15, on February 4.
Harun said the syndicate mainly targeted the victims by sending them text messages that read, "Jobs available for female candidates. If you are interested, contact us."
"If someone fell to their trap, a syndicate member would call them and ask them to contact their agents -- Kabir or Anowarul. During the call, they would also offer the victims to pay a monthly salary of Tk 20,000 to 25,000 for imaginary jobs," said the official.
"We are trying to trace and arrest the other members of the syndicate," he added.
Asked who is assisting the syndicate along the border, Harun said it's too early to comment on that.
"We may get the answer after completing the investigation. Interrogation of the arrestee might help too," he said.
A high official of DB said Kabir and Anowarul are brothers. "They received a payment of Tk 40,000 for trafficking each girl," he said, requesting anonymity.
He said the syndicate members used an Indian number to call the targeted victims to make the job offer believable.
"In most cases, the young trafficked victims were used for organ trade. These organs have a huge demand in Middle Eastern countries. The organs were harvested in India and then, after cross-matching, those were smuggled to the Middle East," he said.
Syndicate members in India and Middle East countries managed the organ trade through online channels, he added.
Muhammad Fazle Elahi, additional deputy commissioner of DB Ramna division, who conducted the drive to arrest the trafficker, said, "We have got names of some five to six syndicate members from the arrestee. We are hopeful to arrest them soon."
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