The Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued 55 people, including women and children, and arrested five human traffickers during an operation in Baharchhara, Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar. The operation took place late Thursday night following intelligence that a group was preparing to traffic people by sea to Malaysia. A suspicious boat ignored a signal to stop and attempted to flee, but was later intercepted near the Kachhapia area of Baharchhara.

Upon searching the boat, the Coast Guard found the victims who had been detained for trafficking to Malaysia. Preliminary questioning revealed that an organized trafficking ring had been luring Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals with promises of better living conditions, high-paying jobs, and low-cost travel abroad. The Coast Guard confirmed that legal proceedings against the detainees are underway.

Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haq, the Coast Guard’s media officer, stated that the agency will continue similar operations to prevent human trafficking in the future.