Police rescue 12 Rohingya from traffickers in Cox’s Bazar

COX’S BAZAR, Feb 27: Trafficking of Rohingya to Malaysia through the sea route started again as in the previous years.

Law enforcing agency members detained 12 Rohingya refugees from Ukhiya upazila while being trafficked to Malaysia.

According to sources, human traffickers along the Teknaf border are active again.

Local people and law and order officials said that at least 20 human trafficking syndicates were formed along border with Myanmar six years ago.

Members of these syndicates are earning millions of taka illegally doing human trafficking to Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand for a long time.

A team of Ukhiya police station rescued 12 Rohingya refugees from a cottage of Nidania coast under Ukhiya upazila on Wednesday night.

Of them eight were female and four were male.

Officer in-charge of Ukhiya police station Morjina Aktar confirmed the matter and said that detained Rohingyas were inmates of different Rohingya refugee camps of Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas.

A group of human traffickers were sending those people to Malaysia through sea route taking money from the refugees, police said.

On the other hand, Coast Guard members rescued 80 Rohingya refugees from a Malaysia-bound trawler near Saint Martin's Island in current month while they were being trafficked.

When contacted Station Officer of Coast Guard in Saint Martin's Island Lt Commander Naimul Haq said their patrol teams are alert to prevent human trafficking.

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