7 Rohingyas held with 3 brokers

In three separate incident, 7 rohingyas along with 3 brokers have been held by police today at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. These people trying to fly to different countries including Cambodia and Saudi Arabia bearing fake and forged Bangladeshi Passport were detected and arrested by Airport Armed Police (APBn) at early hours of 11th August, 2012.

Three Rohingya refugees were stopped by the airport police at the main entrance while they were entering the airport by a micro-bus. Airport police halted the micro-bus and searched the vehicle as usual. In the process, they asked a few question which the passengers could not answer properly as they were unable to speak Bangla. On suspicion, they were taken into interrogation where they admitted that they were trying to go to Cambodia with the fake photo changed passport provided by one broker named Md. Kaiser from Chittagong. For each of the fake passport with visa, the gang was receiving 2-3 lac taka from them. The three Rohingyas were: Md. Bashar, Md. Selim, Azizul Haque all from Cox’sbazar.

In another incident, 4 Rohingyas were detained by Airport Police including 3 minors and a woman at around 4.30am. The woman was held on suspicion when she was at the check in row for collecting boarding pass. 3 minors were accompanying her one of whom was a boy aged 16 wearing ‘Ihram’, for ‘Umrah’ in Saudi Arabia. She claimed all three as her children. But when she was asked where she lives, she replied ‘Burma’ District which increased suspicion level to the police members. Later they were interrogated thoroughly in which she admitted that the boy was not her own child. The passport of them were taken for checking where it was found the all the passport except that one for the lady was forged those were machine readable ones. She later admitted also that two brokers named Mahmud and Mahfuz gave her the passports for Taka 3 lac each. Police also arrested the two brokers from the terminal area.

Later on, two separate cases were filed in local police station,