S A Shofiee, Sylhet :
Three youths from Sylhet were lured into a trap by human traffickers who lured them to send them to Canada via Nepal from Sylhet.
The traffickers took them to Nepal on the pretext of sending them abroad, took their passports and mobile phones and held them at gunpoint. Later, they tried to extort a large sum of money from their families. However, they were finally rescued thanks to the initiative of BRAC’s Migration Program and the cooperation of law enforcement agencies.
Shariful Hasan, Associate Director of BRAC Migration Program, gave this information on Sunday (November 2). However, BRAC did not disclose the identities of the victims.
Shariful Hasan said that they recently received information from a person in Sylhet that three people, including his brother, had been taken to Nepal with the promise of sending them to Canada. The promise was that the expenses would be paid only after reaching Canada. Accordingly, the three went to Nepal from Sylhet on October 13. After reaching Nepal, the traffickers kept them in a hotel in Kathmandu. There, they took away their passports and mobile phones and held them hostage at gunpoint.
Then, they sent their families a photo of their Canadian visas and tickets in their passports, informing them that they had reached Canada. They even contacted the family from a Canadian WhatsApp number and asked them to pay five lakh taka to a local broker. Later, the traffickers demanded another 1.2 lakh taka from each of them.
When the family became suspicious, they contacted the local broker. Then the traffickers started putting more pressure on them and increased the torture of the hostages.
Shariful said that on October 26, the victims’ families contacted BRAC and reported the entire incident. Then BRAC contacted the Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP), CID and the relevant authorities in Nepal to arrange a rescue operation. A case was filed at the Sylhet Kotwali Police Station under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act. A local broker was arrested that night in a joint operation by the police.
When the news of the arrest reached the traffickers, they released the three people near Kathmandu Airport that night. They later returned to Dhaka on October 30. BRAC’s Emergency Response Team provided assistance to them and later the intelligence agency took them into custody.
BRAC said that not only Canada, but also Europe, America, Australia or Middle Eastern countries are being held in Nepal with the promise of taking them there, and torture and extortion are also taking place. Since Nepal can be entered on an on-arrival visa without a visa, traffickers are using this country as the first step.
Shariful Hasan said, “Everyone should be wary of those who are tempting people in the name of sending them to Canada or Europe via Nepal. No one should fall into such a trap. If you receive any suspicious offer, you should contact the local administration, law enforcement or BRAC Migration Welfare Center.”
BRAC’s Migration Program says that anyone in danger abroad can seek their help. BRAC is working in coordination with international organizations and relevant government departments to prevent human trafficking and rehabilitate victims.
