Saint Martin, Jan 05 (V7N) — The Bangladesh Navy has detained 273 people, including 10 suspected human traffickers, while they were attempting to travel illegally to Malaysia by sea. The operation was carried out early Sunday in the Bay of Bengal within Bangladesh’s territorial waters.

According to Navy sources, a patrolling naval vessel intercepted a wooden boat about eight nautical miles from Saint Martin’s Island under Teknaf upazila. The identities and addresses of those detained could not be immediately confirmed. The information was officially verified by the Bangladesh Navy’s Media Wing.

The Navy said the boat was carrying individuals who were trying to leave the country illegally via sea routes to Malaysia. During preliminary interrogation, all detainees admitted that they had embarked on the journey through a broker network with the aim of entering Malaysia unlawfully.

The operation began after Bangladesh Navy ship BNS Swadhinata noticed suspicious movement of a wooden boat located around 30 miles southwest of Saint Martin’s Island. When the naval ship signaled the boat to stop, it attempted to flee by increasing speed. The Navy immediately pursued and seized the vessel.

As a result of the timely and effective action, a large-scale human trafficking attempt was prevented. The seized boat and all detained individuals were later handed over to Teknaf Police Station for further legal proceedings.

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