A 21-year-old man has been arrested in Dinajpur’s Parbatipur for allegedly selling his four-month-old nephew to a human trafficking group to obtain money for personal expenses. Police later recovered the infant unharmed and reunited him with his parents.
The arrested man, identified as Ziaurul Islam, was produced before a court on Monday afternoon, 5 October. The court subsequently ordered that he be sent to jail. He is the son of Monowar Islam of Chandrapur Hafezpara in Parbatipur upazila.
The rescued child, Mahim Islam Anas, is the son of Al Amin Islam and Monira Begum of Nemtara village in Dinajpur Sadar upazila.
According to police, Monira Begum had recently travelled with her four-month-old son to her parents’ home in Chandrapur Hafezpara. The family was staying there when the alleged incident took place.
On the night of Saturday, 3 October, Ziaurul allegedly took the sleeping infant from the house without the knowledge of other family members and left with him. Police said he subsequently handed the child over to a group involved in human trafficking in exchange for money.
The family discovered that the child was missing after waking the following morning. They searched the surrounding area and contacted relatives, but initially failed to locate him. As the search produced no result, the child’s parents reported the disappearance to Parbatipur Model Police Station.
Police began investigating the complaint and carried out an operation on Sunday night, 4 October, resulting in Ziaurul’s arrest. Investigators then followed information obtained from him and went to the place where the child had allegedly been handed over. The infant was recovered safely and was later returned to his parents.
Parbatipur Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Wadud said Ziaurul had admitted during preliminary questioning that he sold the child to a group for Tk60,000. According to the officer, the suspect told investigators that he had wanted the money to meet his personal pocket expenses. He also reportedly said that he did not receive the full amount from the transaction.
The police are now seeking to establish the roles of the other people allegedly involved in the operation. Investigators are also working to determine how the infant was transferred to the group and whether those involved had previously engaged in similar activities.
A case has been filed under the Human Trafficking Prevention and Suppression Act. The child’s father, Al Amin Islam, is the complainant, and five people have been named as accused in the case.
Police said efforts were continuing to arrest the other members of the alleged trafficking group and bring them before the law.
The incident has drawn attention to the particular vulnerability of infants and young children, who can be taken away quickly when those responsible exploit access to a family home. In this case, the alleged involvement of a close relative has added another serious dimension to the investigation.
For the family, the immediate priority has been achieved with the safe recovery of Mahim and his return to his parents. The wider investigation will now focus on identifying everyone involved in the alleged transaction and determining the full circumstances surrounding the child’s removal and sale.
