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Two Bangladeshi men who were allegedly trafficked to Malaysia and held captive for months were rescued after traffickers abandoned them outside a refugee clinic in Penang.
The victims were identified as Jony, an auto-rickshaw driver from Lohagara, Narail, and Md Mosharraf Hossain from Mirsarai, Chattogram.
Jony reportedly travelled to Dhaka in February in search of work and was lured by a broker with promises of a good job. He was later taken to Teknaf and forced onto a boat bound for Thailand. After a 10-day sea journey, he was held at a remote camp and allegedly tortured for nearly four months as traffickers demanded ransom from his family.
He was later taken illegally to Malaysia, where he was held for another two months. Mosharraf reportedly faced a similar ordeal.
While other detainees were released after paying ransom, Jony and Mosharraf remained captive because their families could not raise the demanded money. On August 28, traffickers abandoned them outside a refugee clinic in Penang.
The clinic contacted the Bangladesh High Commission, which quickly arranged assistance. They were subsequently placed under the care of a local Bangladeshi businessman with authorisation from the mission.
Following completion of legal procedures, the two men are expected to return to Bangladesh in the first week of September with assistance from the Bangladesh mission.
Bangladesh High Commission Labour Minister Md Siddiqur Rahman urged people to follow legal migration procedures, warning that those who travel abroad through unauthorised channels are more vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.