Habiganj youths trapped by mafia gangs in Libya, 38 reported missing

Thirty-eight young men from Habiganj district in Sylhet Division have reportedly gone missing after falling into the trap of mafia gangs in Libya. Families have lost all contact with the youths, who had travelled in hope of better work abroad, spreading deep anxiety among their relatives.

The young men from different parts of Habiganj had set out for Libya in search of a better life. They are alleged to have fallen into the hands of organised mafia gangs either on the journey or after arriving there.

The figure of 38 missing has itself made the incident the centre of discussion across the district. News of so many young men disappearing at the same time has cast a shadow of worry over the areas concerned in Habiganj.

According to the families, mobile phone contact with the youths stopped completely at one stage. Since then there has been no trace of any of them, and relatives are passing their days in uncertainty and fear.

Libya has long been known as a dangerous route for migrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Human trafficking and mafia gangs on this route have repeatedly been accused in the past of holding migrants hostage and extorting ransom.

Significant numbers of people from Habiganj and other districts of Sylhet Division travel abroad for work every year. Alongside legal channels, some are lured by brokers into dangerous illegal routes, which sometimes end in tragedies like this.

The families of the missing youths are now seeking the intervention of the authorities concerned to trace them and bring them back safely. Their single demand is that their loved ones be found by any means possible.

The incident has once again brought to the fore the terrible risks of irregular migration. Conscious quarters have long urged people to beware of brokers' false promises before risking everything on dangerous journeys.

Detailed information about the actual condition of the 38 missing youths is not yet available. Their families are waiting to learn where they are and how they are.

Further information will be reported as it becomes available. For now, the waiting and anxiety of the families across Habiganj remain the biggest reality of this story.