4 members of transnational human trafficking racket placed on remand

A Dhaka court today placed four members of a transnational human trafficking racket on a five-day remand each in a case filed for trafficking at least 500 young women and girls to India over the last five years and forcing them into prostitution.

The four are: "kingpin" Ashraful Islam Rafi alias Boss Rafi, Sahida Begum alias Madam Sahida, Ismail Sarder, and Abdur Rahman Sheikh alias Arman Sheikh.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Yeasmin Ara passed the order after Investigation Officer Mohammad Mohiuddin Faruk, also an inspector of Hatirjheel Police Station, produced the four with a 10-day remand prayer in the case, court sources said.

After a video clip of a 22-year-old Bangladeshi woman being tortured and sexually assaulted went viral on social media, Indian police on May 27 arrested Rifadul Islam Ridoy, popularly known as Ridoy Babo on TikTok, and five other Bangladeshis from Bengaluru.

Following the incident, Rapid Action Battalion, over the last two days, arrested Rafi along with three of his associates from Jhenaidah's Sadar and Abhaynagar and Benapole of Jashore.