Boro Lekha-Juri Correspondent:
In a human trafficking case filed in Moulvibazar’s Boro Lekha upazila, the police have arrested Rubel Ahmed (35), another accused, on charges of luring two local youths to India under false pretenses of work. Rubel was arrested on Monday afternoon and sent to jail through court proceedings on Tuesday. Earlier, another accused, Abdul Malik, was also arrested and sent to jail.
Meanwhile, the second accused in the human trafficking case, Runa Begum, wife of Fakhruddin from Dimai village, alleged that on Tuesday afternoon, 10-12 individuals, led by Sabul Member, Sunam, Ripon, and Zaynul, arrived at her residence on 5-6 motorcycles, attempted to vandalize their home, and threatened to set it on fire. She claimed to have preserved video footage of the incident and intends to file a case in this regard.
The victims of trafficking are identified as Md. Abdul Kadir (23), son of Taj Uddin from Dimai village in Sadar Union, and Gias Uddin (35), son of Abdul Shukkur from Purbo Satkorakandi village in the same union. Another youth, Shahin Ahmed (18), son of Abdul Aziz from Dimai village, managed to escape and return home.
According to the case details, in the early hours of April 5, the named accused visited Abdul Kadir’s house in Dimai village under the pretext of offering him work. They took Abdul Kadir and his neighbor Shahin Ahmed from their homes late at night. The same group also brought Gias Uddin from his home. The next afternoon, Shahin Ahmed returned home injured and informed his family that the accused had trafficked Abdul Kadir and Gias Uddin to India for money. While being trafficked illegally to India, Shahin Ahmed managed to escape, but Abdul Kadir and Gias Uddin were apprehended by Indian authorities. Following this incident, Nesha Begum, the mother of Abdul Kadir, filed a case under the Human Trafficking Act on Sunday night, naming ten individuals. Subsequently, the police arrested Abdul Malik and Rubel Ahmed.
Local sources revealed that the youths were sent to India by smugglers for cattle smuggling operations. Two of them were arrested by Indian police and imprisoned. The third youth, who managed to escape, accused the rival smugglers of torture and ransom demands. This led Abdul Kadir’s mother to file the case under the Human Trafficking Act.
The accused in the case include Saraf Uddin Nawab (40) of Keshrigul village, Fakhruddin (38), Abdul Khalik (40), Kutu Mia (38), Abdul Shukur (40), Khairul Islam (39), Abdul Malik (36), Ishak Ali (42) of Keshrigul village, Imam Uddin (40) of Dimai village, and Rubel Ahmed (35) of Gouranagar village.
Plaintiff Nesha Begum stated that Shahin returned and informed them about the torture they endured. She also claimed to have seen a video on Facebook showing the abuse inflicted on her son Abdul Kadir and Gias in India. Despite pleading with the accused, they demanded a ransom of six lakh takas.
Boro Lekha Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abul Kashem Sarkar confirmed that Rubel Ahmed, a named accused, was arrested and sent to jail through the court on Tuesday afternoon. So far, two individuals have been arrested, and efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining suspects.
