A total of 39 Libya-bound illegal migrants were rescued at Shah Amanat International Airport in southeastern port city as the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained them from flying.
However, 21 left for the war-torn North African country on an Air Arabia flight before the security team launched the drive at the airport.
Most of the rescued men are from different districts of Sylhet and Dhaka divisions.
Some of them told newsmen that they wanted to go to Italy via Libya for jobs under contracts with some middlemen. They were supposed to pay the brokers 400,000 taka to 500,000 taka each after reaching the destination.
After primary interrogation of the victims, the RAB prepared a list of 30 brokers. Of them, two are now in Libya while the rest are in Bangladesh.
Speaking at a press conference RAB commanding officer Colonel Miftah Uddin Ahmed said they received information that 130 illegal migrants would take two Air Arabia flights to Libya at 10:10am and 12:30pm.
The RAB team rescued 19 illegal migrants who would take the first flight.
“However, 21 managed to fly as they boarded the flight before the RAB team reached the airport … We have already informed the Bangladesh embassy in Libya to take necessary measures for their safety,” said the RAB commanding officer.
Later, 20 more illegal migrants, who were supposed to take the second flight, were rescued. In the meantime, brokers informed 70 more passengers of that flight not to come to the
airport, said Miftah.
According to him, the illegal migrants were supposed to be taken to Dubai first. From there, they would be flown to Libya via Turkey.
The RAB suspects many of the victims travelled on fake visas. It found that some of their visas have already expired while those of few others would expire in a day. Even photocopies of some original visas were pasted on passport pages.
Miftah said two Sylhet-based travel agencies were involved in the illegal trade.
“A syndicate of brokers entices poor and unemployed people with promises of lucrative jobs abroad. They pledge the victims to take them to Libya without spending money beforehand. But once the victims reach Libya, they torture the victims and inform their family members over the phone about their suffering for realising money,” he added.
Husain Ahammed, 19, of Biswanath sub-district in Sylhet district, said many men from his area went to Italy via Libya in last five to six months.
He became interested in going to the European country after seeing migrants’ photos on a social networking site. He contacted a local broker to take him to Libya for 420,000 taka. From there, he would board a boat
to Italy.
Hedyat Ullah, a tea stall owner and father of three children, wanted to go to Libya to boost his earnings. He said he met a middleman who already sent some local people to Libya. He didn’t see any risk in the process as he would not have to pay the broker beforehand.
The RAB official said they would hand over the rescued victims to police and file a case against the 30 middlemen.
Bangladesh has already restricted travel to strife-torn Libya.