On his way to Italy, Rajib Mir, a young man from Madaripur, was first held captive in Libya. A mafia ring then tortured him and extracted hundreds of thousands of taka in ransom. Even so, he has been untraced for a year and a half, and with no word of their son the family is distraught.
At the home, mother Shilpi Begum wails over her missing son’s photo on her mobile phone. Family members do not know where he is or how he is. Lamentation continues at the house every day, with neighbours gathering.
Relatives said Rajib Mir — son of Khabir Mir of Hoglapatia village in Sadar upazila — fell for the lure of Lokman Haowlader, son of Arshed Ali Haowlader of Ghunghiarkul village in Dasar upazila, Madaripur, a member of a human-trafficking ring. While Rajib was studying in the twelfth grade, a deal was struck with the broker to take him directly to Italy. Under the deal, after Tk 20 lakh was handed to Lokman and his ring, Rajib was taken to Libya on 4 August 2023. There the mafias held him captive and, through torture, extracted a further Tk 16.5 lakh in ransom from the family. Even after that, the ring demanded another Tk 20 lakh. Because it was not paid, Rajib has been untraced for a year and a half. The family has sought the government’s help to trace him and exemplary punishment for the brokers.
Over the incident, Rajib’s mother Shilpi Begum filed a case as plaintiff under the human-trafficking act at Sadar Model Police Station on 11 July, naming 24 people including Lokman Haowlader. Police later arrested Lokman and his daughter Setu Akter; both are currently in jail. The allegations are yet to be tested in court.
Shilpi Begum said: “I have had no trace of my son for a year and a half. The brokers are not giving any proper answer either. On one hand I am distraught at losing hundreds of thousands of taka; on the other I am going mad for my missing son. My family and I seek the government’s help. I want my son traced. I want the brokers tried.”
Neighbour Saikat Haowlader said: “The brokers lure the area’s youths, hold them in Libya and torture them, then extort hundreds of thousands of taka. If these brokers are visibly tried, illegal journeys to Italy will decrease. We all want redress.”
Madaripur Sadar Model Police Station’s officer-in-charge (OC) Abul Kalam Azad said a monitoring cell had been opened at the district police superintendent’s office to prevent human trafficking, from where the matter was being directly observed, and that as a result offenders were quickly being brought under the law.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report