Security personnel at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport arrested three individuals, including two Chinese nationals, in connection with an attempted human trafficking operation involving a young Bangladeshi woman.
The suspects, identified as 30-year-old Hun Zhunzhun and 54-year-old Zhang Leiji from China, were apprehended at the airport.
A third suspect, Md Nayan Ali (30), a Bangladeshi national, was later detained in Dhaka’s Bashundhara Residential Area, according to a statement released by the Armed Police Battalion (APBn).
The arrest followed a tip-off from the 19-year-old victim, a resident of Gaibandha, who alerted APBn officers near the airport’s main entrance. She claimed that the two foreign nationals were attempting to traffic her out of the country.
Responding swiftly, a team led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Fauzul Kabir Moin took the two Chinese suspects into custody and brought them to the APBn office for questioning.
Information provided by the victim led authorities to a residence in Bashundhara, where further evidence of the trafficking operation was uncovered, and Nayan Ali was arrested. Several others involved managed to flee before the raid.
Evidence recovered at the scene confirmed the existence of a broader trafficking network involving both local and international actors, police said.
Superintendent of Police (Operations) Mohammad Mozammel Haque of the APBn stated this was the second incident in recent months involving Chinese nationals linked to human trafficking through Shahjalal Airport.
The investigation revealed that Hun Zhunzhun and Zhang Leiji had been living in Bashundhara for over a year, establishing connections with local agents. One of them allegedly pretended to seek marriage with the victim, gaining her trust with financial incentives and threats.
A fraudulent passport and supporting documents were prepared using a fake address, and in March, Zhunzhun reportedly married the woman, with a dowry of Tk 1 million involved.
Authorities said the woman was unaware that travel arrangements had been made for her to be sent to China via a US-Bangla Airlines flight (BS 325). The arrest was made just before departure.
The victim’s mother has since filed a case under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act at the Airport Police Station.
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“We are seeing increased attempts by trafficking rings to exploit women from economically disadvantaged families, particularly in rural areas,” said SP Mozammel.
“These gangs often collaborate with local intermediaries, luring victims under false pretenses. We act promptly on any credible information to stop these crimes.”
This is not the first case of its kind—on December 10, two Chinese nationals were similarly arrested for attempting to traffic women through the airport.
