The Iranian nightmare
Trafficking syndicate, with help of 2 Dhaka airport staffers, confine, torture Bangladeshi migrants, reveals CID
The Irani members of the syndicate would record the migrants being tortured and send the clips to their family members, asking for ransom.
Jahangir Alam Badsha, 41, is a security staff of the Civil Aviation and Mahamudul Hasan, 27, is an outsourcing staff at the air condition service of the engineering service inside the Dhaka airport.
However, they had another side hustle to take care of. When a fortune seeker, trapped by a transnational human trafficking syndicate, went to the airport to leave Bangladesh on a visit visa, their task on behalf of the syndicate was to help the aspirants board the plane without any obstacle.
In the last two years, this syndicate has trafficked at least 50 Bangladeshis to Iran. The syndicate comprises at least 15 Bangladeshi members with some Irani nationals.
The serious crime unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) disclosed the findings yesterday following the arrest of Badsha and Mahamudul from the capital's Dakkhin Khan area.
Md Nazrul Islam, special superintendent (SS) of CID's serious crime unit, confirmed the development to The Daily Star. "The duo used to charge Tk 15,000 to Tk 20,000 per client," he mentioned.
Besides the airport management, the duo was also involved in manipulating people to identify themselves as top airport officials, said Nazrul.
CID found out about their involvement with the syndicate while investigating a case filed with the airport police station of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on November 10 last year.
A trafficking victim, who has managed to get out of the captivity of the syndicate and return to Bangladesh from Iran with an international NGO's help, filed the case, said CID officials.
Earlier on January 15 this year, CID arrested another member of the syndicate -- Abdus Salam alias Selmat Ullah, 34, -- from the capital's Abdullahpur area.
The syndicate used to target those who want to go to middle east, especially to Iran or Saudi Arabia. For the journey, the syndicate first charged Tk 1 lakh and then send the fortune seekers to Dubai on a visit visa.
Dubai-based Bangladeshi members of the syndicate used to receive the aspirants from there, and charged Tk 2.5 lakh from each of them, said investigators.
To sell the migrants to locals, they would then hand them over to the syndicate's Irani members and board them on an Iran-bound boat, said SS Nazrul Islam of CID.
Upon their arrival in Iran, the syndicate used to confine and torture them for money.
The nightmare does not end here. The Irani members of the syndicate would record the migrants being tortured and send the clips to their family members, asking for ransom, said Nazrul, citing the findings from the primary investigation.
The families of the migrants would then be asked to pay the ransoms to different mobile financial service accounts in Bangladesh. "A victim has paid around Tk 7 to 8 lakh to the syndicate to be released from their captivity," said Nazrul.
SS Nazrul Islam also said they have already started correspondence with the Iran Embassy in Bangladesh to identify the Irani nationals involved with the syndicate.
"We are also working to trace the syndicate's local members and rescue the Bangladeshi victims confined in their torture cells," he added.