35 Rohingyas Held in Patenga After Fleeing Bhasan Char

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained 35 Rohingyas, including 19 women and children, from the Khajurtola embankment area near Patenga beach in Chattogram on Saturday.

According to RAB Senior Assistant Director ARM Muzaffar Hossain, the detainees fled from the Bhasan Char Rohingya camp in Noakhali on Friday night, with the help of brokers. After entering Chattogram city, they took shelter near Patenga beach.

RAB conducted a drive in the area around noon on Saturday, detained them and later handed them over to Patenga Police Station, he said.

The official added that all of the detainees are residents of the Bhasan Char Rohingya camp and had left illegally.

One of the detained Rohingya men said two local brokers from Bhasan Char took Tk 2,000 from each individual to facilitate their escape from the camp. Around 1 am, they boarded a boat headed for Chattogram.

After reaching Patenga in the early morning, the brokers fled, leaving the group behind.

The Rohingyas reportedly planned to reach Ukhiya in Cox’s Bazar by road but were detained before they could proceed, reports UNB.