Police in Cox’s Bazar have rescued 34 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, from being smuggled to Malaysia by boat.
They include 11 men, 15 women and eight children, said Cox’s Bazar Central Police OC Farid Uddin.
A police team conducted a raid in Cox’s Bazar’s Dariyanagar Borochhora after being tipped off about the trafficking scheme on Tuesday night.
But the law enforcers were unable to detain the smugglers, who fled the scene when the police arrived, bdnews24 reported quoting the OC.
"A trafficking racket has recently become active and have been picking up Rohingyas from different refugee camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf to smuggle them out of the country," he said.
The rescued Rohingyas are currently being held in police custody. They will be sent to their respective camps by the relevant authorities, the police said.
