Young man loses Tk 40 lakh in dream of going to Italy, alleges torture in Libya

The victim, Md. Tahsan Mollah, is a resident of Middle Brakshandi village in Jhaudi Union of Madaripur Sadar Upazila. He is the son of the late Jalal Mollah.

According to family sources, Tahsan left Bangladesh for Libya on October 12, 2025. He arrived in Benghazi three days later. It is alleged that he was held captive there for a long time and subjected to physical and mental torture. He returned to the country in a critical condition and was admitted to Madaripur Sadar Hospital on July 7.

The victim and locals allege that two women, Rubina from the Siddikholla area of Sadar Upazila and Laisu from the same area, promised to send him to Italy via Libya within three months. They gained the family's trust by claiming to have a husband in Europe and a child in Italy. Later, they cunningly extorted a huge amount of money by citing various stages of sending him abroad.

Tahsan Mollah claims that the torture began as soon as he arrived in Libya. Besides regular beatings, he was forced to talk to family members over video calls, and the scenes of torture were shown to extort more money.

He said, "First, Tk 25 lakh was taken. Later, I was held hostage and another Tk 15 lakh was extorted. In total, my family paid about Tk 40 lakh. Now we are destitute."

Tahsan's elder sister, Mosammat Sufia Akhter, said, "We raised Tk 40 lakh by selling the family's land and valuable assets. Now we have nothing left. We want justice for this fraud and will file a case against those involved."

Attempts were made multiple times to contact the accused Rubina via mobile phone to get her statement, but she did not answer the phone. Therefore, her statement could not be obtained.

Additional Superintendent of Police of Madaripur Sadar Circle, Faria Rafiq Vabna, said, "Bangladesh Police are in a strong position against human trafficking. Members of human trafficking rings have been arrested at various times. Regular drives and public awareness activities are ongoing to prevent illegal human trafficking."

Locals claim that the trend of illegally going to Europe via Libya from various areas of the district has increased alarmingly. They have called for strict legal action against the human trafficking ring as well as strengthening extensive public awareness campaigns on safe migration at the union and upazila levels.

However, no case has been filed in this incident so far. According to those concerned, if the legal process begins, the true facts of the incident can be uncovered through investigation.