Chattogram: The Bangladesh Coastguard rescued 17 Rohingyas from the St Martin’s Island while they were being trafficked to Malaysia on early Saturday.

Five traffickers were detained from the Dakshin Beach area, said Lt Commander BNM Hamidul Islam, Coastguard’s assistant director (intelligence), the UNB reported.

‘We raided the area after being tipped off about a human trafficking attempt,’ he said.

Seven of the rescued Rohingyas are women and the rest men.

The rescued were handed over to authorities of Rohingya camps while Teknaf police are taking legal actions against the traffickers.