‘They trafficked over 500 job seekers to Dubai in last 7 years’

Rapid Action Battalion claimed to have arrested eight members of a human trafficking syndicate early yesterday, who trafficked job seekers to Dubai on tourist visas with fake BMET immigration clearance card.

In the last seven years, the group has trafficked over 500 job seekers to Dubai, Lt Col Rakibul Hasan, commanding officer of Rab-3, told a press briefing at its media centre in the capital's Karwan Bazar yesterday.

In separate drives in Dhaka and Brahmanbaria, Rab arrested ringleader Nayeem Khan alias Lotus (31), Nure Alam Shahriar (32), Rimon Sarker (25), Golam Mostafa Sumon (40), Badrul Islam (37), Khorshed Alam (28), Sohel (27), and Habib (39).

Rab also seized 14 passports and 14 fake Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) smart cards from their possession.

Rab said Nayeem, a Dubai expat since 2012, is the mastermind behind the racket. Returning to Bangladesh this may, he took job seekers to Dubai taking Tk 2-3 lakh from each.

Rab said the UAE government officially stopped importing workers from Bangladesh after 2012. But due to demand, some companies in Dubai still gave out work permits to Dubai residents on work visas. Nayeem took advantage of the situation.

With the money earned from trafficking, Nayeem obtained a residence visa and approval for his own business establishment in Dubai, Rab officials said.

Rab said they acted on complaints from a group of job seekers who were defrauded by the group. After they refused to go abroad illegally and demanded a refund, the traffickers produced fake BMET cards for them.

When the job seekers went to the airport with the fake cards, airport BMET officials identified the fake cards and suspended their travel, the Rab official said.

Among the members of the group, Farooq lives in Dubai, while Shahriar used to help Nayeem prepare documents for workers from Brahmanbaria.

Meanwhile, Habib and Khorshed used to prepare fake BMET cards.