Navy detains 273 while trying to reach Malaysia by sea
Monday, 5 January 2026
OUR CORRESPONDENT
CHATTOGRAM, Jan 04: The Bangladesh Navy late on Saturday detained 273 people, including 10 suspected traffickers, while attempting to travel illegally to Malaysia by the sea.
The people detained comprise Bangladeshis and people from the Rohingya community.
Acting on intelligence inputs, the operation was carried out by naval ship BNS Swadhinata during a routine patrol near St Martin's Island, according to a press release by the Navy.
About 30 nautical miles southwest of the island, the patrol team spotted a wooden boat, which was behaving suspiciously, according to the Navy. When signalled to stop, the boat attempted to flee by increasing speed, prompting a chase. After a brief pursuit, the naval vessel intercepted the boat and detained all those on board.
"Preliminary interrogation revealed that all the detained individuals were attempting to travel illegally to Malaysia through a human trafficking network," the Navy said.
Naval officials said, passengers of the boat paid traffickers to arrange the dangerous sea journey. The wooden boat and all detainees were later handed over to Teknaf Police Station for further legal action.
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