11 'trafficked' youths missing for months

Eleven fortune seekers, lured by the promise of job in Malaysia and Indonesia, have remained missing for the last couple of months.

Seven of the ill-fated people are from Bonnagari village of Chatmohar upazila and four others from Ulat village of Sujanagar upazila under Pabna district.

"My son Tanjil Hossain was as SSC candidate this year. Before completion of the examinations, traffickers tempted him to go to Indonesia by the sea," said Momena Begum, mother of the victim at Bonnagari village. 

"In first instalment, we paid Tk 20 thousand. Then they forced us to pay 1 lakh more but my son remained missing for months," said the lamenting mother.

Shukur Ali, Md Jewel Hossain, Jahidul Islam, Hossain Ali, Jakir Hossain, aged between 20 to 30, also borrowed the same fate as Sharif and Sujon of the same village tempted them to go to Indonesia and Malaysia, said family members of the victims.

"The traffickers first took my son and two others to Myanmar. Then they forced us to pay Tk 2.5 lakh but all the three victims are traceless for weeks," said Sufia Begum, mother of Shukur Ali.

Md Abu Hanif, Bachchu Miah, Saddam Hossain and Baki Billah, aged between 22 to 25 years, of Ulat village of Sujanagar upazila got trapped by a trafficker when they went to Dhaka for work.

"They went to Dhaka to earn by pulling rickshaw. There traffickers tempted them to go to Malaysia by the sea. After confining them, the men of traffickers took Tk 2.5 lakh from the four families but the victims are traceless for the last couple of months," said Md Hasan Ali, uncle of Abu Hanif.

Md Siddikur Rahman, additional superintendent of police in Pabna, said, "We have received allegations that several people went missing after being trapped by traffickers. We are investigating the matter."