Bangladesh Navy detained 273 people, including 10 suspected members of a trafficking syndicate, as they tried to travel illegally to Malaysia through Bay of Bengal on Saturday night, officials said.
Acting on a tip, Bangladesh Navy ship (BNS) Swadhinata spotted a wooden boat about 30 miles southwest of St. Martin’s Island, according to a release from Inter-Services Public Relations.
When Swadhinata signaled the boat to stop, it increased speed and tried to flee, the release said. Navy chased and intercepted the boat, seized it and detained the passengers.
Detainees told officials they began the journey with help of traffickers and lacked life-saving equipment, food, water and safety arrangements, a situation that could have turned disastrous at sea. Navy handed the boat and detainees to Teknaf Police Station for legal action.