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Published : 30 Mar 2026, 12:21 AM
Two men from Madaripur have reportedly died after being tortured by human traffickers in Libyan detention centres.
The families of the victims, Ilias Howlader, 25, from Kalkini Upazila, and Faruk Howlader, 35, from Dasar Upazila, received news of the deaths on Mar 25.
Both families have accused a local broker, Habibur Rahman Khondoker, a former madrasa teacher, of luring the men into the trap by promising a job in Europe.
Ilias, who had been working in Qatar for three years, was allegedly lured with the promise of a better life in Italy.
He reached Libya in August last year.
His father Kalam Howlader said the traffickers held Ilias hostage, subjecting him to physical and mental torture to extort money.
"I paid Tk 2 million to Habibur in several instalments, hoping to save my son. But they killed him anyway," Kalam said.
He said the broker recently met the family in Dhaka, promising compensation and the return of the body.
Ilias reportedly died on Mar 23 after falling severely ill due to torture.
Faruk, a mason by profession, left for Libya via Saudi Arabia four months ago.
His family claimed they paid Tk 1.2 million to the same broker.
Faruk reportedly died on Mar 18, though his family only learnt of the tragedy a week later through other migrants held in Libya.
At Ilias’s home on Sunday, his wife Bithi, identified with a single name, was clutching their 2-year-old son.
"They tortured and killed my husband. How will I survive with this child? I only want the government to bring his body back to the country," she sobbed.
In Faruk’s dilapidated tin-shed house, his mother Maleka Begum expressed despair over the future of Faruk’s two young children.
"We are poor people. Who will look after them now?" she asked.
Faruk’s wife, identified only as Laboni, also appealed to the authorities to repatriate his remains for burial on home soil.
Local residents alleged that many other youths from Kalkini and Dasar are currently being held and tortured in Libyan detention camps via Habibur.
Efforts to reach Habibur were unsuccessful as he was not at home, and his family declined to comment.
Despite his long-standing involvement in trafficking, locals claim he has remained beyond the reach of the law.
Madaripur Superintendent of Police Md Habibur Rahman told reporters that no formal case has been filed yet regarding the two deaths.
"We will initiate legal action as soon as the families lodge a formal complaint," the SP said.
