Six individuals, including three women, were arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka while attempting to travel to Malaysia using falsified identities as married couples. Authorities suspect the incident is linked to a human trafficking network operating through passport forgery and deceptive migration practices.
According to immigration police, the group was detained on the night of February 15 while preparing to board a Thai Airways flight. During questioning, each pair claimed to be married; however, further verification revealed that the individuals were not couples. Examination of their passports showed that the “spouse” information had been tampered with and altered to support the false claims.
Investigators stated that the three women were being trafficked to Malaysia through a network of brokers under the promise of overseas opportunities. A case was filed on February 16 at Airport Police Station, and the Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is currently overseeing the investigation.
Preliminary findings indicate that one of the accused, Monir Hossain, operates a travel agency in Paltan named “Z E Tours and Travels,” which allegedly facilitated the process. The women were reportedly being sent on tourist visas after agreements were made to collect 300,000 Taka from each of them. Partial payments had already been collected, with the remaining amount to be paid after their arrival in Malaysia.
Officials involved in the investigation noted that presenting as married couples on tourist visas can ease immigration procedures in destination countries, which was used as a tactic in this case. Authorities have indicated that broader trafficking networks and intermediaries may be involved, and further investigation is ongoing.
Source: Samakal
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