20 Rohingyas found in Manikganj’s Singair

Police have found 20 Rohingya refugees in Manikganj’s Singair Upazila.

The group was made up of 11 children, six women and three men. One of the women, 35-year-old Hasina, was injured.

The refugees are currently in police custody after they were picked up in the Charigram and Dhalla areas of the Upazila, said Manikganj Superintendent of Police Mahfuzur Rahman.

They are being kept at Singair Pilot High School, he said, and will be turned over to Cox’s Bazar police after the situation is discussed with senior officials on Friday.

They were taken to the school after being questioned at the superintendent’s offices. The media has been denied access to the Rohingyas.

But locals have crowded the location to try and catch a glimpse of the Rohingya families. Many of them brought food or cash for the refugees.

The Rohingyas have said they all come from Mandukaderbil village in Maungdaw. They fled in fear for their lives after their homes were set aflame. The Myanmar military shot one of the women as they fled and struck her on the arm.

The wounded woman has received treatment at a Chittagong hospital.

The group says it came to the Teknaf border by sea and travelled by road to Manikganj. They were trying to take refuge in the area after speaking with a Bangladeshi expatriate they were familiar with who hailed from Singair, they said.