Teknaf, Oct 01 (V7N) – The Bangladesh Coast Guard and Navy have rescued eight people, including women and children, from a secret hideout in the remote hills of Baharchhara in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar. Officials believe the victims were being held for trafficking overseas through illegal sea routes.

Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haque, media officer of the Bangladesh Coast Guard, confirmed the rescue in a press release on Wednesday morning. Acting on intelligence reports, a joint operation was launched on Tuesday, September 30, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the hilly Jumma Para area of Baharchhara. During the operation, eight individuals were freed from a trafficking den where they had been confined in preparation for smuggling to Malaysia.

Sensing the presence of security forces, the traffickers managed to flee the scene, leaving no arrests during the raid. However, officials confirmed that surveillance and special operations are continuing to track down members of the trafficking network.

“Human trafficking is a grave international crime. The Bangladesh Coast Guard remains committed to combating such activities and will continue similar operations in the future,” Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haque said in his statement.

Authorities emphasized that the rescued victims narrowly escaped being smuggled overseas through dangerous sea routes, where traffickers often expose migrants to life-threatening risks. Joint forces have intensified intelligence-driven crackdowns to dismantle trafficking networks operating in the coastal belt.

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