File Photo

DHAKA, Mar 8, 2026 (BSS) - A total of 32 people, including women and children, who were held captive for trafficking to Malaysia were rescued in a joint operation by the Coast Guard and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Teknaf's Baharchhara.

According to a Coast Guard press release, acting on a tip-off that several men, women, and children were held at a papaya garden adjacent to the LGED Road in Noakhali Jummapara area, a joint team of Coast Guard Outpost Baharchhara and RAB conducted a drive in the area on Saturday night.

During the operation, the joint forces searched the garden and rescued 32 victims. They were allegedly kept there by notorious human trafficker Md Abdul Ali with the intention of trafficking them by sea.

However, the traffickers managed to flee, sensing the presence of the law enforcement personnel.

During primary interrogation, the rescued victims said several organized trafficking gangs were trying to lure Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals from Cox's Bazar and other parts of the country with promises of better living standards abroad, high-paying jobs, and low-cost travel to foreign countries, and were planning to traffic them to Malaysia by sea.

The rescued persons were later handed over to Teknaf Model Police Station for further legal action.