By Camp Correspondent
Maungdaw, February 24, 2025
In a distressing incident, 24 Rohingya individuals from the Buthidaung region—including children—were detained by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in the early hours of February 24 as they tried to cross into Bangladesh through illegal routes.
The group was intercepted and sent back to Laldia Island, an area now controlled by the Arakan Army (AA).
According to Rohingya sources, these refugees had been trafficked from Buthidaung Township to Maungdaw, where a human trafficking syndicate forced them to pay 15,000 TK each.
The syndicate, led by a man named Akaram Mulla and reportedly connected to the AA through ties with U Kori Mulla and religious figure Mawlawi Mag Sord, arranged for the group to be taken by boat into Bangladesh through illegal routes.
However, the journey was abruptly halted when the BGB intercepted the group, detaining them and sending them back to Laldia Island.
Once there, the traffickers demanded an additional 50,000 TK per person if the Rohingya wished to be sent either back to Maungdaw or into Bangladesh.
A detained individual, speaking through a relative, revealed the extent of the extortion. This cruel practice adds to the already heavy burden faced by the Rohingya people, who have suffered decades of persecution and are now caught in the web of human trafficking and extortion even while trying to escape their dire circumstances.
This incident highlights the ongoing exploitation and harassment experienced by the Rohingya.
Despite having fled violence and persecution in Myanmar, they now face further abuse and extortion at the hands of criminal networks operating within AA-controlled territories.
Human rights groups continue to warn that such practices only deepen the Rohingya’s plight, leaving them even more vulnerable and desperate in their struggle for survival.
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