NEWS
Syndicate exploiting (trafficking) Bangladeshi workers for forced labour in Malaysia exists, agent tells Bangladesh court
B Nantha Kumar
Published: Dec 3, 2025
Summary
A director of a migrant worker agency told a court in Dhaka about the existence of a human trafficking syndicate that allegedly sends Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia.
SM Rafiq says those who defy the syndicate are threatened with murder, and reports lodged against it have gone nowhere.
An agent from Bangladesh alleged there is a multi-million-ringgit human trafficking syndicate that sends workers from the country to Malaysia.
SM Rafiq, 66, the managing director of M/S United Export Ltd, revealed this on Dec 1 before the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court, presided by magistrate Md Jamsed Alam.
He said his company has been operating since 1994 and was previously recognised as a CIP (Commercially Important Person) by the Bangladeshi government for its significant tax contributions.
“However, in recent years, I have been forced to pay extortion money to continue sending workers to Malaysia, due to pressure and interference from a syndicate linked to politicians and government officials.
“Every worker sent to Malaysia, I’m charged between BDT150,000-BDT200,000 (RM5,000-RM6,700).
“And this is only for the syndicate’s fee. It does not include the legitimate government cost of BDT78,990 (RM2,600), which covers passport, Covid-19 testing, medical examination, agent fee (for himself), and uniform.
“The extortion money must be paid to another agency company located in Dhaka,” Rafiq stated in his affidavit, which Malaysiakini has viewed.
He also admitted that from 2022 to 2024, his agency collected an excess of RM14 million from 2,822 Bangladeshi workers as payment for being sent to Malaysia.
When contacted, a spokesperson for the Bangladeshi police said briefly: “The affidavit is genuine.”
Threatened with murder, abduction
Elaborating, Rafiq recounted the threats he faced when he refused to pay the additional fees.
“They (the syndicate) threatened to murder me or kidnap me if I refused to pay.
“Plus, they halted the process of sending workers registered by my agency. So, I had no choice,” he said.
Rafiq is one of 103 suspects currently being investigated by the Bangladeshi police over a human trafficking syndicate.
In his confession, he also named a Malaysian and a local company as the masterminds of the syndicate in Malaysia.
Malaysiakini is withholding their identities pending comment.
Rafiq said he filed a petition at the Bangladeshi High Court in 2016 but was forced to withdraw it due to threats.
“In 2022, I filed a formal complaint with the prime minister of Bangladesh, but no action was taken.
“In 2022, both governments decided to grant permission to 100 migrant worker agencies, yet the syndicate continued to extort a fee of BDT150,000 for every worker, even though the worker had undergone a medical examination and was ready for the visa.
“Due to the pressure, I lodged a report at the Tejgaon Industrial Area police station to report the rampant extortion,” he said.
Inaction by authorities
Rafiq claimed that other agencies in Bangladesh were also being extorted by the syndicate.
He had also filed another writ petition in 2024 ordering the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Bangladesh to investigate the syndicate.
Subsequently, the ACC sent letters to several ministries, including the Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, for action.
“Unfortunately, the relevant ministries did not take firm action; instead, agency licenses were arbitrarily suspended.
“The court later ordered the suspension to be halted for three months, but the ministry still failed to comply, leading to a contempt of court order being issued.
“This syndicate continues to operate unimpeded, building an international network to launder illicit money from Bangladesh to Malaysia,” Rafiq said.
According to him, although the laws of both countries allow all licensed agencies to send workers, the syndicate still controls the system as if the laws were not applicable.
Programme paused amid soaring arrivals
The deployment of Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia resumed in August 2022 after being halted for nearly six years.
However, in May last year, after more than 476,000 workers arrived, the programme was stopped, leaving 17,000 licensed workers unable to depart.
The Malaysian government initially permitted 25 Bangladeshi agencies to send workers before increasing the number to 103.
These agencies were later dubbed the “syndicate” and were claimed to have links with four former Bangladeshi ministers and MPs.
For every visa, about BDT142,000 (RM4,800) was collected by agents in Bangladesh, and another BDT150,000 (RM5,000) by the syndicate in Malaysia.
Last July, Malaysiakini reported that Dhaka agreed to halt its investigation into the allegations of a syndicate exploiting Bangladeshis seeking employment in Malaysia, reportedly at the request of the Malaysian government.
According to a local official who requested anonymity, the decision was reached during a meeting in Kuala Lumpur between representatives of the Bangladeshi government and Malaysia’s Human Resources Ministry on July 17.