54 Bangladeshi males discovered in Kigali

KIGALI - Police have arrested a Bangladesh national who is suspected to have been smuggling people from his country to Mozambique, through Rwanda.

Sattar Miah, was arrested, on Monday evening, in Okapi Hotel at about 22:00 hours where he has been staying and coordinating his illegal activities.

Police also discovered two residential houses in Gikondo and Kacyiru which accommodated 30 and 24 Bangladeshi males respectively, who had been brought into the country illegally by Sattar, as he planned to ship them off to Mozambique.

Jean Nepo Mbonyumuvunyi, the Director of Judicial Police, said that they have evidence of Sattar’s illegal activities and how he was "coordinating them from here (Rwanda).”
Mbonyumuvunyi said that at the time of his arrest, Sattar, who was posing as an investor who wanted to open a travel agency in the country, was in possession of the travel documents for the 54 Bangladeshi.

"When we got all this information, we stormed the two houses which he (Sattar) had rented. When they saw us (victims) they all entered into their rooms and hid under beds,” Mbonyumuvunyi said.

"When we asked him (Sattar) who these people were, he told us that they are his relatives, but we came to know, through investigations that he was smuggling them to Mozambique.”

Mbonyumuvunyi revealed that Sattar had secured a travel channel, through Dubai, Addis Ababa and then to Rwanda, their main transit to Mozambique.

The first group, according to Mbonyumuvunyi, was slated to depart for Maputo on Monday.

"Even though they are from the same country, we found out that they don’t even know each other, they only met in Kigali.”

According to police investigations, the group was not the first one to be smuggled to Mozambique by the same person, through the same channel.

The victims’ ages ranged from 19 to 49 years. Only two of them could speak basic English while all others speak their native language.

Police is also investigating to ascertain whether there are Rwandans involved in this illegal activity.
It is further alleged that the guard at the Gikondo house had notified the local authorities in the area but nothing was done.

The victims are yet to be deported back to their country.
Mbonyumuvunyi called upon Rwandans to always report suspicious situations or people.

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