Trackback URL
Download PDF A victim of human trafficking who was brought back home yesterday revealed how Bangladeshi jobseekers are lured by prospect of jobs in Europe and other developed countries and eventually deserted in Africa by international racketeers.
Ramizuddin said he along with 14 other jobseekers was abandoned in a Moroccan jungle where a gang looted their money and other belongings.
He also told journalists how they crossed 400 kilometres in Sahara desert without enough food and water to reach Bangladesh Embassy in Rabat in 26 days.
On the way they faced sand storms several times and narrowly cheated death. Each time the storms piled huge load of sand over them and in their desperate effort to survive they managed to escape.
“During those days I never thought I’d ever return to my home again. I request every jobseeker not walk the way we did,” he said at the Police Headquarters with tears flooding down his cheeks.
“I was so fortunate to return home after spending a stranded life for two years and seven months. I don’t know whether my mother is alive or not,” Ramizuddin who hailed from Chandra Gram village in Moulvibazar said.
He had been languishing in the custody of Bangladesh Embassy in Rabat since he managed to reach there.
Luckily, Ramizuddin came across Inspector General of Police Nur Mohammad who went to Morocco last month to attend the 76th General Assembly of Interpol.
The IGP assured him of doing everything possible to bring him back once he [Nur Mohammad] returned home.
After his return, the Bangladesh police boss contacted local representatives of International Organisation of Migration, which finally paid the travel expenses for Ramizuddin.
Father of five children, Ramizuddin seemed mentally disturbed when he was talking to the reporters at the press conference.
He went to Dubai in early 2005 under a visa sent by his elder brother Mumin Uddin and earned a handsome amount as a building construction worker.
He said he decided to migrate to Europe after Shamsur Rahman, member of an international human trafficking gang, promised him of a salary of Tk 1.5 lakh to Tk 2 lakh per month.
Dubai-based Rahman took around Tk 6 lakh from him to ‘fulfil’ his promise.
The gang was supposed to take him along with others to Spain through Nizar, Algeria, Morocco and the strait of Gibraltar.
Rahman first sent Ramizuddin to Nigerian capital Nizar on May 29 where a local received him. He was later taken to a hotel where he met 14 other Bangladeshis.
The victim said after two months they were driven towards Algeria on an eight-seated bus. By that time, they lost their passports and others documents to the local agents of the gang.
After 15 days through the desert and hills, they reached Algeria border, half-starved with little water to drink.
An agent of Rahman received them on Morocco border and kept then in different Moroccan cities for over a month. Finally, the agent took them to a jungle and left them there saying he would return the next day.
The next day never came anyway. In the jungles they encountered robbers who beat them up and took away whatever left to them.
“My fellow jobseeker Alamgir and I finally decided to walk about 400 kilometres through Sahara to reach the Bangladesh Embassy,” Ramizuddin added.
The embassy sent Alamgir back home on October 4, but could not do anything for Ramizuddin due to fund shortage, the IGP told the press.
December 15th, 2007 at 2:15 am
Why people should feel sorry for those who themselves are seeking dishonest means to escape
to outside.
There are proper channels to seek help & opportunities.