Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
A fatherless Rohingya girl has been kidnapped by a criminal gang in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, with the abductors demanding a ransom of 200,000 Bangladeshi Taka (approximately $1,700 USD) for her release.
Activists on social media circulated an audio recording in which the girl can be heard tearfully pleading for her release, while one of the kidnappers is heard demanding the ransom from her mother.
Local residents told Arakan News Agency that criminal gangs operate freely within the camps. One elder stated, “Anyone who tries to speak out or expose these gangs is silenced. Many believe these groups are protected by powerful individuals.”
So far, there has been no official statement or response from Bangladeshi authorities or security forces regarding the incident, raising growing concerns about the continued lack of accountability for such crimes.
Human rights activists have called for an urgent and independent investigation, the safe return of the kidnapped girl, and serious measures to dismantle the criminal networks exploiting vulnerable refugees.
Kidnappings for ransom have become an almost daily occurrence in the Rohingya camps. In most cases, the victims’ impoverished families are unable to afford the large sums demanded.
In one case, a young Rohingya man named Jahid Hussain was tortured by unknown assailants in the Kutupalong camp and released only after his family paid a ransom of 40,000 taka. In another, 5-year-old Mohammed Arakan was kidnapped, buried up to his body in the sand by the abductors, who then sent his photos to the family and demanded 700,000 taka (around $5,700) for his release.
Another tragic incident involved the body of a Rohingya man being found a week after his abduction. His family was unable to raise the 800,000 taka ($6,600) ransom demanded by the kidnappers. A Rohingya youth named Abu Yusuf also recounted his experience of being kidnapped and tortured by unidentified individuals before being released after his family paid a ransom.
Cox’s Bazar is home to over one million Rohingya refugees who fled violence and persecution in Myanmar, especially after the military launched a genocidal campaign against them in 2017. The United Nations recognizes Cox’s Bazar as the world’s largest refugee camp.
