Law enforcers have rescued at least 84 Rohingya refugees from being smuggled to Malaysia by sea in separate drives in Cox's Bazar. -AA
Law enforcers rescued 84 Rohingyas, including women and children, from Cox's Bazar's Pekua upazila and St Martin's Island yesterday when they were being trafficked to Malaysia. Five alleged human traffickers were also arrested during the drive in St Martin's Island, police sources said.
In Cox's Bazar, at least 67 Rohingyas were rescued from Pekua upazila yesterday. Of them, 21 were men, 31 women and 15 were children. Informed by locals, police went to Karimdad Mia's jetty in Ujantiya area of the upazila around 1.30am and rescued the Rohingyas, who had gathered there to board a Malaysia-bound engine boat. In St Martin's Island, a patrol team of Coast Guard Bangladesh intercepted a boat carrying Rohingyas and rescued 17 Rohingyas. Coast Guard Teknaf Station Commander Lt.
Fayzul Islam Mandal said that on Friday night, seven women and 10 men were waiting on the sea shore to head for Malaysia. On secret information we rescued them arrested five brokers.
The detainees resident of Qatubdia, Maheshkhali and Ramu area. He said legal action was being taken against them. "A case will be started against the traffickers. The Rohingya refugees will be produced in court before being sent to their respective camps," said Teknaf Police OC Pradip Kumar Das.
---Chanchal Dash Gupta, Cox'sBazar
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