Three young men from Shyamnagar, Satkhira, have been suffering inhumane torture for seven months after being trafficked to Libya. They were taken hostage by a local human trafficker and broker gang while trying to illegally reach Italy by sea. The traffickers have been torturing them and sending the video to their families to demand ransom. They are being tortured constantly, as the poor families do not pay the ransom as demanded.
The three hostages are Rezwan and Abu Shahid Gazi of Koikhali Union in Shyamnagar Upazila of Satkhira and Ramzan of Burigoalini Union. A gang of brokers sent them on the same flight to Libya, visiting five countries, hoping for a better life on December 18, 2024. The family members said their sons called and told them that they were being subjected to inhuman torture. They were not being given proper food and were being physically beaten every day. They were even being pressured for money.
The families allege that after falling into the trap of the human trafficking ring, each family has given TK 18 to 25 lakh to the brokers. All the victims collected money by selling land, saving, and taking loans. Now they are destitute, and they are trying to save the lives of their children.
Traffickers from Libya are sending a video to their families showing three young men being tortured with their hands and feet tied. The families are breaking down after seeing the scenes of physical abuse of their sons. Several videos of the torture have reached the Khaborer Kagoj. The video shows a man named Abu Shahid Gazi being tied up with his hands and feet and being beaten. He is writhing in pain.
"Mukul, his sister Halima, and their brother-in-law Sirajul had promised to take my brother directly to Italy when they received the money. However, they took Ramzan and two others to Libya and tortured him and collected an additional two lakh taka in several rounds," said Shahidul Islam, brother of the victim.
"Unable to bear the cruelty inflicted on his son, his father, Khalilur Rahman, filed a case against 15 people, including the ringleader Mukul, his father, Abdul Hakim Sana, brother-in-law, Sirajul; and their wives, Halima and Momena, on June 6. The police have only caught two of the brokers. Many brokers are still out there. Enraged by the incident, the gang has filed three cases against various people, including the wife of the accused, Azizul Islam, and his father and family members. We don't want anything; we just want our brother back," he continued.
Shahidul Islam said that a person named Mukul Sana from Burigoalini Union in Shyamnagar Upazila is behind human trafficking and kidnapping. "Mukul is at the root of everything. He controls everything from Dubai. A team of six to seven people works for him here. His brother-in-law, Rezaul, and his wife, Momena Bibi, help in this work. They take a lot of money and lure people and send them to Libya to do kidnapping and trafficking," he added.
"My father had taken a loan from the association, including selling land, to send her brother to Italy. Her father handed over a total of 1.7 million taka in various stages to their neighbor Mukul, his father Abdul Hakim, his wife Halima, and his brother-in-law Shahinur of Mazat village. Later, they promised to release her brother from the hostage situation, and they again took Tk three lakh, but now the mafia is demanding Tk two lakh more for each person's release. Hamida also claims that she was kicked out of her husband's house because she could not repay the loan she took from the association for her brother," said Hamida Begum, the sister of Ramzan, who was held hostage by the mafia in Libya.
Ashraf Hossain, the father of Rezaul, a hostage in Libya, said he spoke to his son two weeks ago. At that time, he was shown via video call that Rezaul was being beaten by two people who were holding his hands while a third person was beating him with a pipe. He could not bear it and disconnected the connection of the phone.
"The gang took the entire amount of the contract in advance with the promise of taking him directly to his destination by plane from Dhaka. At one stage, on December 18, 2024, he was taken from Dhaka to Sri Lanka via India, and later to Libya via Dubai and Egypt. After reaching Tripoli, Mukul and his men handed over Rezwan to the mafia there. We are unable to raise any more money. I demand the return of my son and the punishment of Mukul Dalal and his associates," he said.
It was not possible to contact Mukul, who is in Dubai, or his father, who is in prison, to talk about this. However, Mukul's brother-in-law, Shahinur, said that others, including his sister-in-law, can provide information on these matters. He claimed that he himself was not involved in the incident.
Regarding the threats made to the victim's family members, Shyamnagar Police Station OC Humayun Kabir Molla said that Abdul Hakim and several others involved in the incident have already been arrested and sent to jail. However, necessary action will be taken if they are released on bail and threaten the victim again.
Shyamnagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md. Roni Khatun said that the matter has already been reported to the higher officials. On Saturday morning, the higher authorities asked for copies of the passports of the three hostages. Efforts are being made by the ministry to rescue them. The affected families have been asked to seek legal recourse as well.
