13 arrested over 26 Bangladeshis murdered in Libya

Law enforcers have arrested at least 13 people in 22 cases filed across the country over the killing of 26 Bangladeshis in Libya on May 28, Police Headquarters (PHQ) said today.

Under strict guidelines of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed, all the police units including Rapid Action Battalion, Criminal Investigation Department, Police Bureau of Investigation and Dhaka Metropolitan Police started a drive to arrest the responsible persons behind the trafficking and the drive is still underway, PHQ said in a statement.

Two of the accused have given separate confessional statements before a magistrate in Dhaka saying that they had abetted trafficking of a number of people to Libya taking a hefty sum of money from them.

One of them, Md Sujan Miah, told a magistrate that his cousin lives in Libya and he had sent a number of people to the country illegally through the cousin.

He, however, could not confirm whether any of those he had sent were among the victims of the shooting incident in Libya that left 26 Bangladeshis dead on May 28.

Metropolitan Magistrate Ashek Imam recorded his confessional statement after detectives produced Sujan in his chamber in a case filed with Tejgaon Police Station.

After recording his statement, Sujan was sent to the Dhaka Central Jail in Keranigonj.

The other accused, Mohsin Howlader, gave a similar confessional statement before the same magistrate in a case filed with Paltan Police Station over the trafficking of the 26 Bangladeshis killed in Libya.

He was also sent to the same jail after his confessional statement was recorded.

Earlier in an emergency video conference with all police unit chiefs and higher officials on June 1, the police chief said, "The way our countrymen were brutally killed is unacceptable."

"No one will be spared who have deceived our citizens… who took them abroad and are responsible for these miserable deaths," the IGP warned.

It is to be noted that Bangladeshis who travel abroad in this way usually travel to India or other countries first through valid process using passport and valid tourist or other visas. In all these cases, they left Bangladesh after showing valid travel documents, reads the PHQ statement.

Then, in collaboration with brokers and traffickers, they migrate to the Middle East or Libya from India or other countries, added the statement.

In addition, sometimes people cross the border in different ways with the help of brokers.