Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
On Sunday evening, the body of a young Rohingya woman named “Sajeda” (20 years old) was found at a bridge construction site inside refugee camp No. 24, which caused widespread shock among the refugees amid concerns that the incident might be linked to human trafficking operations.
An identity card belonging to the victim was found at the site, along with another card belonging to a child named Yeasor Arafat (12 years old), whose connection to the case remains unclear.
A correspondent from the Arakan News Agency reported that the body was transferred to police custody to initiate a formal investigation, while some residents suggested that recent floodwaters might have carried the body to the site.
Witnesses from the camp reported that the incident increased anxiety among residents, with calls to enhance security within the camps.
Rumors circulating in the community suggest that “Sajida” was trying to reach Malaysia before her disappearance, which has heightened suspicions about the involvement of human trafficking networks.
It is noted that human trafficking poses an increasing threat in the Rohingya camps, with gangs exploiting women and children by luring them with false promises of work or marriage abroad, often leading to them becoming victims of exploitation or murder.
Over a million Rohingya have fled from Arakan state in western Myanmar in recent years after the Myanmar military launched a genocide campaign against them in 2017. The Arakan Buddhist militias (Arakan Army) launched a military campaign to control the state in November 2023, also involving violence, displacement, and forced recruitment. Most of them live in crowded camps in Bangladesh, with many seeking to move to other countries in search of better living conditions.
