Ctg businessman abducted in Teknaf, rescued from Myanmar after ransom payment

Tareque Hossain, a 21-year-old small businessman from Chattogram, was abducted in Teknaf and taken to Myanmar by Rohingya human traffickers. After six days of relentless efforts, the police successfully brought Tareque back to Bangladesh on 5 June.

Tareque is a cosmetics trader from the EPZ police station area in the port city. He had met Saiful, a resident of Teknaf, through business connections. What seemed to be a friendly relationship took a sinister turn on 23 May when Saiful lured Tareque to Teknaf under the pretence of attending his sister's wedding. 

Once in Teknaf, Tareque was subjected to beatings and forced to pay a ransom of Tk10,000. Subsequently, he was handed over to a local woman who acted as a broker for more money. From there, Tareque was transferred to a detention centre operated by a Rohingya human trafficking group in Myanmar.

Recalling the abduction and torture, Tareque said, "Upon arriving in Teknaf, I realised that it was a trap. Saiful and Abshar took me to a betel nut garden where they subjected me to severe beatings and extorted Tk10,000 from my family. After being held captive for a day, I was handed over to Rohingya traffickers on a fishing boat."

Three successive boats transported Tareque to Myanmar, where the torture continued. His family was contacted and demanded ransoms of Tk5 lakh and later Tk2 lakh. They were repeatedly threatened with violence if the money wasn't paid. Ultimately, with the assistance of the police, Tareque was released after a payment of Tk1.5 lakh.

Abdul Karim, officer-in-charge of the EPZ Police Station, confirmed that a case was filed by the victim's family on 25 May. With the aid of information technology, a woman involved in the abduction was apprehended in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar. This led to the subsequent efforts to rescue Tareque from Myanmar.

Sub-Inspector Sajjad Hossain, who led the operation, shared the gripping details of the journey from Teknaf to Myanmar and the successful rescue.

Sajjad explained, "Saiful, who is actually named Adam Bepari, strategically developed business relationships. On 23 May, Saiful and Absar trapped Tareque under the guise of attending Saiful's sister's wedding in Teknaf. Instead of releasing Tareque after receiving Tk10,000, he was sold to a woman named Hamida Begum. She, in turn, sold Tareque to Rohingya individuals. Eventually, Tareque ended up in a location called Chamila in Myanmar with the help of a trawler."

He further added, "As soon as we received the case, we made efforts to utilize information technology. However, the phone numbers used to contact Tareque's family were registered in northern regions of the country, including Rangpur and Panchagarh. This indicated a possible Rohingya connection."

After a few days, the police discovered the involvement of a woman from Ward No. 8 of Harbang Union in Teknaf Police Station. She was implicated in the human trafficking case. Following her arrest, it was revealed that Tareque had already been smuggled to Myanmar.

SI Sajjad expressed deep concern over the alarming frequency of abductions in Teknaf, stating that such incidents occur daily. As they investigated Tareque's case, they uncovered information about numerous similar incidents where victims' families were extorted for large sums of money through violence.

During questioning, Hamida confessed her involvement in the abduction. Through her, a negotiation was initiated with the Rohingya abductors to secure Tareque's release. After reaching an agreement, Tareque was returned in exchange for a payment of Tk1.5 lakh, which was made in instalments. On 5 May, Tareque was finally dropped off at Shah Parir Island in Teknaf.

Regarding the involvement of Rohingyas in this abduction case, Abdul Karim, officer-in-charge of the EPZ Police Station, stated that the identities they had obtained thus far belonged to individuals with Bangladeshi citizenship. However, the traffickers in Myanmar were Rohingyas. Further investigations are underway to uncover more details.

The incidents of kidnapping are on the rise in various locations, including Teknaf in Cox's Bazar. Disturbingly, at least 65 people have been kidnapped for ransom in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar, over the past six months. The fear of abduction is increasing in the area, leaving many individuals burdened with long-standing debts after being freed.

Superintendent of Police Md Mahfuzul Islam of Cox's Bazar highlighted the absence of an immigration system between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Consequently, it remains unknown how a Bangladeshi citizen was taken to Myanmar or brought back. While numerous kidnapping reports have been received, it has been discovered that many of these incidents are the result of debt disputes.