Photo : BSS

COX'S BAZAR, Sept 19, 2025 (BSS) - Joint forces have rescued 66 people including women and children who were confined in a deep mountain hideout at Teknaf in the district.

Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard jointly launched an operation at Kachchhpia hill under Teknaf upazila from 6 pm to 11 pm on Thursday and rescued them.

Among the rescued persons are 22 men, 23 women and 21 children, while most of them are Rohingya and Bangladeshi citizens, coast guard officials said.

Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haq, media officer of the Coast Guard Headquarters, said that efforts were underway to identify and arrest members of the smuggling gang.

Based on information that some people were confined at a hideout at hilly areas, the Navy and the Coast Guard jointly launched the operation and found several hideouts of kidnappers and human traffickers on top of the deep hill, Haq said. 

He said identities of the rescued people are being verified and later they would be handed over to their relatives.

In this connection, a case will be filed with Teknaf police station, he said.

According to locals, some people were abducted from Teknaf and other areas and confined in a hilly hideout for smuggling out to Malaysia by trawler. 

They said an organized kidnapping and human trafficking gang took them to the deep mountains den at gunpoint. The gang also demanded ransom from the hostage. 

Since the incident, the law enforcement agencies increased intelligence activities at the Teknaf area.