A video clip of a young Bangladeshi woman being assaulted in India led to the arrests of several suspects, and revealed horrifying tales from victims of sex trafficking, reports bdnews24.com.
The suspects have admitted to trafficking more than a thousand girls, an acknowledgement that has sent shock waves across Bangladesh, with people questioning what the law-enforcement agencies did to prevent the massive, organised crime.
Groups working on human rights and trafficking wonder whether influential people or the law enforcers themselves were involved with the sex trafficking rings.
Young women, who recently managed to flee the traffickers in India and return home have now gathered the courage to speak out and take legal action after the arrests in India and Bangladesh.
The police say they act immediately whenever they receive information, but other agencies also need to be more proactive to stop crimes like human trafficking.
Rifatul Islam, also known as TikTokRidoyBabu, 21, who took the woman in the video to India after promising her a job, was the coordinator of the gang, the police say.
He was among six people arrested in India after the video of the assault went viral on social media. The other suspects are also Bangladeshis. They are also accused of raping the young woman.
Ashraful Islam alias Rafi, 30, one of several people arrested in Bangladesh, led the ring. After making arrests in border areas, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said Ridoy had helped Rafi traffic around 50 women since the duo had met two years ago.
The international human-trafficking ring had around 50 members, including foreigners, who trick women into travelling to India by promising them jobs at markets, superstores and salons, the RAB said.
The culprits then drugged their victims and filmed them in vulnerable positions. They then used the videos to blackmail them into performing paid sex work.
Rafi had previously worked as a driver and clothing trader in Bengaluru for eight years, during which time he came into contact with the human traffickers. He later formed his own gang, RAB said.
The woman in the video was assaulted because she had helped two others flee the traffickers, according to the law enforcers.
Meanwhile, a victim escaped the ring and returned home on May 7. She started a case against 12 people at Hatirjheel Police Station in Dhaka on Jun 1 after the police traced her.
Another case was filed under the anti-trafficking law at the same police station by a garment factory worker on Jun 10. She alleged that her husband Jahidul Islam Rony, a 27-year-old bus conductor and drug addict, sold her off to traffickers for Tk 40,000.
