Investigative Stories
Part-4 / No coming home
After rescuing trafficking victims, the Indian police do not take them to shelter centre; they file cases under criminal laws.
Part-3 / Bombaypara in Narail: a sex trafficking hotspot
Two hours away from Jhenaidah’s Indo-Bangla border, the district of Narail has gained a notoriety for being one of the biggest sources of girls headed for Mumbai.
Part-2 / Sex Trafficking: The racket on prowl at the border
Adjacent to the border in Narail district’s Maheshpur upazila, a hidden racket facilitating the illegal crossing of people thrives, operated by individuals known locally as “Dhurs” or carriers.
Part-1 / Lured to India’s red light district, and a lucky escape
Every year, many girls are trafficked out of Bangladesh with the promise of a better life abroad, only to end up in the underbelly of Indian cities. The Daily Star takes a look into this dark world
Spin doctors go into overdrive ahead of polls
With the national election just around the corner, both pro-government and anti-government elements are out to manipulate public opinion through a vigorous campaign on social media platforms and private messaging apps, turning them into hotbeds of spin doctoring, disinformation and fake news.
Electronic Voting Machines: Tk 940cr lost due to poor upkeep
Electronic voting machines, first introduced in 2011 in Bangladesh, and touted as a great tool for voters to exercise their franchise, were adopted on a large scale for voting in six constituencies in 2018.
Of illegal sand lifting and Dipu Moni’s 15 letters
There were no signs of life on the Meghna river as our engine boat cut through the darkness on the night of October 5. It was around 12:30am.
Cardiac Implants For Children: Top hospitals using unauthorised devices
Unauthorised companies are smuggling a number of cardiac medical devices into the country and selling those to some of Dhaka’s top public and private hospitals without proper vetting, raising questions about health regulations and patient safety.
Where do the ‘disappeared’ disappear to?
While their families search every alleyway, survivors say that they lived right around the corner in the capital city.
A family forced into never-ending distress
Four years ago, some plainclothesmen picked up Mohon Mia from his Mirpur house. He has never returned home again. His father Jamsher Ali, a trader, has long insisted he has proof that Rab-4 members took his elder son away without giving any reason.
From the archives: Aug 21 Attack on Hasina — a Hawa Bhaban plot
It was a long, dark plot. A chilling conspiracy was getting final touches in an eerie August of 2004, a month that brings to mind the memories of a past bloodbath. The plot for a high-profile assassination was awaiting approval, again.
Traffickers on the prowl online
Efforts to combat human trafficking need to be coordinated both in cyberspace and the real world, since the menace has latched on to the internet and gotten worse amid the pandemic, said speakers yesterday.
Dating apps new way to extort money
Using dating apps like Tinder, Tantan and Mamba, criminals are extorting money from people by ensnaring and abducting them.
Justice for Human Trafficking: A privilege now gets in the way
When migrant workers fell victim to labour trafficking and filed cases with the police, the law enforcers prosecuted or arrested the recruiting agents responsible for sending the workers abroad.
Rogue IPTVs on the prowl
Right opposite the Gabtoli bus terminal, there is a blue building squeezed between bus counters -- a hotel as seedy as it gets. A narrow flight of stairs takes customers up to the bare-bones rooms.
3 Dev projects in Cox’s Bazar: Syndicate finds mines of money
A syndicate of bureaucrats, politicians and officials of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) in Cox’s Bazar have systematically siphoned off Tk 78 crore in public money from three development projects.
Human Trafficking: Families’ wait for justice gets longer
Justice remains elusive for 21 fortune seekers, who either died or went missing after being trafficked abroad, as investigators could not collect any evidence in around one and a half years since filing of the cases.
Traffickers target slum women
Transnational human trafficking syndicates are now targeting women in city slums and selling them to brothels in India after promising them lucrative jobs.
