The Liberian Government says it has in its custody 36 nationals of Bangladesh who were found loitering in the country, and the Liberian government is endeavoring to have them deported to their country of origin.

The Anti- Human Trafficking Task Force announced the arrest and subsequent detention, in an unknown location, of the Bangladeshis, who they said were trafficked to Liberia by a Liberian company, only named Talk Fushion Napey (Lib.) Inc.  The head of the company is reportedly arrested.

“The Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force wishes to inform the public of the unearthing of a serious case of human trafficking,” the head of the Task Force, Labor Minister Tiawon Gongloe told a news conference last week attended by members of the Task Force.

The Bangladeshis, all males, according to the Task Force, were surrounded through the instrumentality and agility of the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (BIN).

The overriding inquiry is that how could such a huge number of foreigners enter the country without any trace or suspicion of their activities by BIN officers is what concerned ordinary Liberians, but BIN boss, Col. Chris Massaquoi said security forces must not be held culpable because “Liberia lacks the technical security sophistication to detect.”

According to authority of the Task Force, all of the Bangladeshis entered the country through the Roberts International Airport (RIA) where there huge security presence with American experts playing leading roles at most.

“On March 4th, the BIN arrested in diverse places in some Asians found loitering. These Asians, 42 in total, were identified to be Bangladeshis,” Mr. Gongloe said from a prepared statement read to the media.

According to him, investigation conducted by the BIN revealed that out of the 42 men, 37 were victims of human trafficking, while the remaining five perpetrated the act of trafficking.

He told the news conference that the men were made to pay huge sum of money to the alleged traffickers or perpetrators, under the guise that Liberia is booming and that they could be employed with huge financial benefits.

Chairman Gongloe indicated the Liberian Company, Talk Fushion Nepay (Lib.) Inc brought the men to Liberia in order to work for them (company).

The Task Force said a BIN investigation also showed that the company in question was organized for the production of textiles in Liberia, but on the contrary is only involved in the trafficking of 37 nationals of Bangladesh to Liberia under “false pretense.”

“It should be noted that four Liberian perpetrators have been identified and arrested, and among them, is a man called Samuel Nepay , Chairman of the Board of Directors of Talk Fushion Nepay (Lib.) Inc,” the Task Force said.

The Task Force said the so-called victims, some of who paid about US$3000 to come to Liberia, have been cared for by the Liberian Government with the help of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The government said the five men undergoing investigation by the BIN while the Ministry of Justice is proceeding to have them account for their crimes, meaning that they could be charged and prosecuted.

At the same time, the government said, in close cooperation with the IOM, it is finding the means to repatriate the men to their country of origin.

The Task Force used the medium to thank the BIN, the Liberia National Police and the Ministry of Justice, for what it called “the efforts in uncovering the crime the case.

The Task Force also used the time to call on the public to report any strange individuals found loitering in their communities.