A 19-year-old Bangladeshi woman named Rima endured a harrowing ordeal involving alleged forced drug dependency, deception, and human trafficking to China before escaping and returning home on a Tuesday night, according to an investigation by The Daily Star and support from the organization Justice and Care.
From Bagerhat to a North Badda Flat: How the Trap Began
Rima left her village in Bagerhat roughly six months prior to her rescue, believing she was heading to Dhaka for domestic work. Having studied up to class six, she had previously worked for about three years at Salam Jute Mill near the Rupsha intersection, married young, and had a three-year-old son. Financial strain pushed her back to her father’s home when her husband could only find irregular agricultural work. A distant relative offered her a job at a house in Baridhara.
Instead of reaching a domestic workplace, Rima was taken to a flat near Alir Mor in North Badda, close to Nilachal School and College. There, she was held by the relative—the mother of a woman named Nayma—along with other family members. Soon after, she was pressured into taking yaba. Rima initially resisted the drug.
“They told me I would not keep thinking about my child, that there would be less pressure in my head and I would be able to work normally,” she recalled.
After being forced to take the substance four or five times, Rima developed a severe craving. Her captors then controlled her supply, giving her half doses when she needed more, leaving her restless and weakening her contact with her family. At the flat, she witnessed another young woman, Sajida, undergo the same treatment before being shipped off to China.
Coerced Marriage Documents and the Journey to China
With Rima fully dependent on yaba, her relatives introduced the idea of a marriage to a Chinese national that would supposedly provide financial support for her family. When she refused due to constant thoughts of her son, traffickers intensified their pressure. Rima alleged that compromising videos had been recorded while she was under the influence of drugs, and her captors threatened to send these clips to her family.
Sumona, an associate, later transported her to Jamuna Future Park to meet a Bangladeshi broker known as Ador, alongside a phone-in appearance from Nayma, who was reportedly living in China, and the prospective Chinese husband, Wang Zhen. Following a brief photograph session, Rima was returned to the North Badda flat for another month, during which her passport was expeditiously arranged within a day.
The marriage ceremony itself consisted of signing paperwork at a location identified as “Bismillah Coffee Shop” in Dhaka, in the presence of Ador, Sumona, and Ador’s wife.
“No one explained anything. They only gave me a paper and told me to sign there,” she said.
About a month later, Nayma and an associate of Ador escorted her to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Rima traveled alone after her Chinese husband had departed earlier. Inside the terminal, she encountered another unfamiliar Bangladeshi woman named Maya. Rima noted that a person wearing a blue uniform escorted both of them to the aircraft bus, though she could not identify the specific agency or name of the individual.
Abuse, Confinement, and Exploitation in China
Upon landing in China, a uniformed worker helped Rima through immigration where her photograph was taken, and she was met by Wang Zhen. After staying at a hotel for three days, they traveled to his family’s village home, where his parents resided. Initially, the family treated her well, organizing a photoshoot and hosting a local gathering.
However, once her visa was extended for six months, the environment turned hostile. Rima stated that Wang and his parents tied her hands and feet one night, transporting her like cattle to the house of another Chinese broker whose name she did not know.
“They treated me like I was cattle,” she said.
Confined there for roughly 20 days, she faced regular beatings and sexual abuse before being returned briefly to Wang’s family, and then sent back to the broker’s house for another 10 to 12 days. Realizing open resistance was futile without a phone, she feigned acceptance of her situation, suggesting she could recruit other women through her brother to gather intelligence. Through these covert investigations, she discovered evidence of financial transactions between Ador and Chinese brokers, with prices reaching around Tk 2.5 lakh per woman, alongside demands from Nayma for Tk 3.5 lakh from her family for her release.
The Daring Escape and Cross-Border Rescue Operation
Equipped eventually with a local mobile phone, Rima captured photographs of translated threats from Wang’s phone, which detailed plans to beat her and keep her chained. When she was taken to a doctor for injuries sustained on her hands and feet, she seized an opportunity while her companion was at the reception desk to slip through the back exit and flee.
Running a significant distance, she entered a restaurant and showed the staff her saved images, which included Bangla and Chinese text, injury photos, and threats of violence. Restaurant workers contacted emergency services, and local police responded. Chinese police recovered her passport, procured a ticket to Beijing, and coordinated with Justice and Care Bangladesh to facilitate her safe return.
Back in Bangladesh, legal actions unfolded swiftly. On August 2, Rima’s father filed a formal petition with the Khulna Human Trafficking Offence Tribunal naming seven individuals: Nayma Khatun, Md Jannatul Baki Ador, Badi Sheikh, Moyna Begum, Helena Begum, Abdullah, and Wang Zhenzhen. Justice and Care stepped in after receiving word from the family on July 30, subsequently notifying the home ministry on August 3 with evidence including birth registration, WeChat logs, and tribunal documents.
Mohammed Tariqul Islam, country director of Justice and Care, emphasized the critical need for robust cross-border cooperation.
“Law enforcement agencies must strengthen investigations to dismantle these networks, while awareness needs to be raised in vulnerable communities about the risks of false overseas marriage offers,” he said.
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