RAB has arrested a man in Dhaka over allegations of involvement in child trafficking.
The suspect, Shahabuddin Selim, is accused of trafficking in children abroad, kidnapping them and holding them for ransom.
RAB-11 Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police Jashim Uddin Chowdhury said Selim was arrested in a raid on a hotel in Gulistan around midnight on Wednesday.
Law enforcers had been searching for Selim for a long time, he told this news
agency. The raid was based on a tip-off.
Selim has gone to the Middle Eastern country of Oman six times in the past year, said the RAB official.
“We have information that he kidnapped five children to Oman during this time.”
RAB has information that the trafficking ring has kidnapped a total of 17 children, said Jashim. The gang has kidnapped nine children for ransom in the past year, he said.
Two children were thrown off the Kachpur Bridge and killed when their ransoms weren’t paid. The whereabouts of the last child are unknown.
Selim used women to traffic in the children to Oman, said Jashim.
“The women pretended the children were theirs. Selim would be waiting in Oman and then sell the children to various agents for huge amounts.”
Selim confessed to the crimes in the initial interrogation, the RAB official said. Law enforcers are looking to arrest the rest of the gang.
