Police foil marriages of 2 Australians with Rohingya women
The foreigners were kept under surveillance at the hotel, Additional SP says
Cox's Bazar police foiled the marriages of two young Rohingya women from the Ukhia Upazila Balukhali camp to two Rohingya-origin Australian citizens at a hotel in the tourist town.
During the raid on Sunday evening, police detained 63 Rohingyas related to the event, including the intended brides, and sent them back to the camps in Ukhia upazila.
Among the group were 19 foreign nationals, with 12 identified as Rohingya-origin Australians and seven as US citizens. One individual was Australian by birth.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"A programme was being arranged at Sea Pearl-2 hotel of Kalatali area in the town without the administration's permission," said Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, additional superintendent of Cox's Bazar police (administration).
He confirmed two Australian citizens of Rohingya descent, Abdul Hamid and Mohammad Ilias, were identified as grooms. Both have relatives residing in various Rohingya camps across Ukhia and Teknaf. The brides, Khatija Begum and Hasina Akhter, were residents of the Balukhali Rohingya camp.
The foreign nationals were kept under observation at the hotel after verifying their passports and documents. The remaining detained individuals were transported back to their respective camps by the Office of the Police Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, the police official added.
Zainal Abedin, who is a security official of the hotel, said the foreign nationals have been staying in the hotel for a month.
Additional SP Rafiqul Islam said the foreign nationals did not inform the police about their location and arrangement of a programme.
The hotel manager and employees have been absconding since the raid. The police will take legal action against those responsible for arranging the unauthorised event.
