Published : 06 Oct 2026, 07:33 PM
Updated : 06 Oct 2026, 07:33 PM
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police has arrested two people for allegedly trafficking a man from Noakhali to Libya under the pretext of sending him to Italy.
The suspects, identified as Atikur Rahman Thomas and Badiul Alam Bhuiyan alias Belal, were apprehended on Monday in front of the Civil Aviation Welfare Market near Dhaka’s Ashkona Hajj Camp.
According to a CID media statement issued on Tuesday, the victim was trafficked to Libya via Egypt last April after payments were made.
Upon arrival, he was “held captive and subjected to physical and psychological abuse for ransom”.
The victim, a resident of Senbagh in Noakhali, had previously worked in Saudi Arabia for nearly three years.
On his return journey to Bangladesh, he reportedly met a passenger on the flight who introduced him to the trafficking ring.
The syndicate allegedly lured him with promises of safe passage to Italy via Libya, striking a deal for Tk 1.2 million.
On Apr 5, he handed over his passport along with an advance payment of Tk 130,000 at an office in Ashkona.
Two days later, on Apr 7, he was sent first to Delhi, India, and then to Colombo in Sri Lanka.
During his 16-day stay in Colombo, the ring reportedly extracted further sums from his family under different pretexts. He was then moved to Cairo via Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
Upon arriving at Cairo airport, a network member escorted him to a safehouse and detained him for five days, extorting an additional $6,000, according to the CID.
In total, the syndicate allegedly extracted Tk 1.2 million from the victim and his family through cash, bank transfers, and mobile financial services.
The CID revealed that the victim was then driven across remote desert and mountainous borders into Libya.
There, he was allegedly locked in a clandestine holding facility -- referred to as a 'game room' -- and tortured for further ransom demands.
Libyan security personnel subsequently raided the location, detaining him alongside others and sending them to prison.
While he was incarcerated, the brokers demanded an additional Tk 600,000 from his family to secure his release, according to CID findings.
Libyan authorities deported the victim back to Bangladesh on Jul 7.
He filed a case with the Airport Police Station on Monday following his return, leading to the arrest of the two syndicate members.
