Joint Anti-Human Trafficking and Anti-Drug Drive Continue in Teknaf: 9 More Rescued, 70 Hostages Still Held

The joint forces’ drive against human traffickers, drug dealers and terrorists in the remote hills of Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar has entered its fifth day. But about 70 hostages and missing people have still not been rescued. Law enforcement agencies are continuing the drive with various tactics to rescue them. They have also increased watch along the border, the Bay of Bengal and hilly areas to block the escape of criminals. The drive was carried out for the fifth day on Sunday in various remote hilly areas of Teknaf.

According to various sources of law enforcement agencies, special tactics are being used to locate the hostages, rescue them safely and arrest the criminals. But for security reasons, details of the drive tactics are not being released. Although no large scale operation was directly visible during the drive, members of the forces said efforts continue to locate the criminals and rescue the hostages.

To stop criminals from escaping across the border into Myanmar, through the Bay of Bengal or by remote hill paths, the position and watch of law enforcement forces have been increased at important points. Meanwhile, on Sunday members of the BGB rescued 9 more people who were brought for trafficking after being lured with the promise of being sent to Malaysia.

It is known that they were gathered through various lures and later taken to remote hilly areas and held hostage. Human trafficking gangs are accused of gathering people by promising to send them abroad, keeping them in hill hideouts and demanding ransom from their families.

Earlier, in a joint forces drive at the hideout of human traffickers in the remote hills of Nila in Teknaf, a soldier of the Army was shot and was martyred. In that incident, 5 people were detained and 57 people were rescued from captivity. After the sacrifice of the soldier, demands have also risen among local people to strengthen the drive against human traffickers.

Superintendent of Police of Cox’s Bazar Mr. A N M Sazedur Rahman said the drive of law enforcement agencies will continue until human trafficking and related crimes are wiped out. He said the highest efforts are being made to bring criminals under the law and to rescue hostages and missing people.

Overall situation of the drive: Information so far shows that the joint forces’ drive rescued 57 hostages, detained five people and one soldier was martyred. Later BGB rescued 9 more people. But about 70 people are still held hostage or missing, according to the sources concerned. The drive continues to locate and rescue them.

Local residents are now looking to see how successful this ongoing drive is in wiping out human trafficking, drug dealing and the activities of armed criminals in the hilly villages of Teknaf.