Madaripur Correspondent

They had set off with a modest dream: securing a decent job in Italy to pull their families out of poverty. Instead, that pursuit ended in financial ruin and a living nightmare for two young men from Madaripur—Rahat Talukder, 28, and Arafat Kazi, 25. Rather than reaching European shores, they were trafficked to war-torn Libya and confined in notorious human trafficking dens, locally known as “game houses.”
After enduring a year of relentless physical and psychological abuse, the duo finally returned home on August 8. Both are currently undergoing treatment at the Madaripur 250-Bed District Hospital.
Speaking from their hospital beds on Sunday (August 9), the survivors and their family members recounted the brutal ordeal.
Visibly traumatized, Rahat described how captives were systematically tortured three times a day. Human traffickers bound their hands and feet, taping their mouths shut to muffle their screams, before beating them with plastic and iron pipes. Rahat’s body bears multiple burn marks from cigarettes, and his fingernails were forcibly extracted. According to him, 400 to 500 individuals were crammed into a single room with access to only one meal a day, causing victims to lose all sense of time.
Arafat suffered similar atrocities, including being burned with heated iron rods and severely beaten on the soles of his feet, leaving him unable to walk without intense pain.
According to family sources, local brokers Majibar Sheikh, Shamsu Fakir, and Mahabub Munshi connected the victims with the primary human trafficker, Suman Bepari, around March 2025. The families initially agreed to pay approximately BDT 2.2 million to facilitate their journey to Italy. However, upon arrival in Libya, the young men were sold to an armed mafia network and subsequently held in a “game house” managed by an individual of Bangladeshi origin.
The captors recorded videos of the torture and forwarded them to the victims’ families in Bangladesh to extort ransom.
Rahat’s mother, Maya Begum, broke down in tears as she recalled receiving the disturbing footage. “Watching those videos felt like my heart was being torn apart. We sold our last remaining assets and took out loans just to save him,” she said, demanding exemplary punishment for the traffickers.
Arafat’s elder brother, Mahabub Kazi, stated that their family paid nearly BDT 5 million to broker Suman Bepari and his local associates to secure Arafat’s release. He urged the authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and help recover the extorted money.
An inquiry in Purba Tubia village under Madaripur Sadar Upazila revealed that Rahat and Arafat are not isolated cases. At least 50 local youths have fallen prey to human trafficking syndicates under similar pretexts, leaving numerous households financially ruined and desperate for news of missing relatives.
Addressing the issue, Madaripur Sadar Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Wadiya Shabab stated that the allegations are being taken with utmost seriousness. “A thorough investigation is underway in coordination with law enforcement agencies. Strict legal action will be taken against anyone involved in human trafficking, and efforts are being made through relevant authorities to trace other missing individuals,” she assured.