Woman who complained against cop arrested

A woman was arrested by Rab from the capital's Rupnagar on charges of human trafficking on Wednesday, about two weeks after she lodged a complaint with police against a sub-inspector over stealing Tk 2.5 lakh during a raid at her home.

A Rab-4 team raided the house of Rasheda Begum, 53, in Rupnagar on Wednesday afternoon and picked her up along with one of her tenants Mahmuda Akter Mim, 24.

The Rapid Action Battalion in a press release yesterday said the arrestees are involved with a transnational human trafficking ring which lured young women with promises of better jobs in a neighbouring country and then trafficked them.

The elite force said 10-15 people are involved in the ring and their main target is young women from low-income families. It claimed that the arrestees used to force women into "immoral activities" in exchange for money.

The Rab also said they rescued a female victim from Rasheda's house. The victim filed a case with Rupnagar Police Station under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act on Thursday accusing the two arrestees and two-three unnamed people.

A Dhaka court on the same day sent the two arrestees to jail.

However, several tenants of Rasheda told The Daily Star that the "victim" lived in a room with her "husband" who is an informant of law enforcement agencies.

Speaking to this correspondent, the "husband" said he has been living at the house for 15 months. He claimed that he did not marry the "victim", but Rasheda kept her with him introducing them to others as a couple. He said he has been living there for two and a half months.

Although he claimed to be a bus driver, he said he did not have a driving licence.

Rasheda's daughter Moni Akhter Rotna said the "husband" brought the "victim" to their house about three months back and introduced her as his wife.

She said the "husband" did not pay rent for eight months and that is why they were pressing him to vacate the house.

Moni said her mother is a "seasonal trader" who sells cigarettes and clothes wholesale. Besides renting out rooms and some auto-rickshaws, she trades cattle and fruits seasonally.

Earlier on August 21, Rasheda had filed complaints against an SI and five others with the complaint cell of the inspector general of police and the commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

She alleged that SI Masudur Rahman of Rupnagar Police Station took Tk 2.5 lakh from her home during a drive on August 19.

She said she earned the money by selling cattle ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha. She alleged that the SI asked her to keep mum and threatened to implicate her in a narcotics case if she did not comply.

The SI, however, denied taking money from her.

During the raid, police claimed that Rasheda was a member of a gang of mobile phone thieves and that they had information that there are 30-35 stolen phones at her house.

Police then picked up Rasheda and three of her tenants, including two women, and later showed the four arrested under section 74 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance, over running prostitution at the home.

On August 20, the four were freed by a Dhaka court after they paid fines, said police.