Dhaka: The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested three suspected members of a human trafficking gang from the capital on Friday.

The arrests were made following the deaths of Bangladeshis in a recent boat capsize in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting to reach Europe from Libya.

Tipped off, a team of Rab-1 conducted drives in different parts of the capital, including Abdullahpur, Khilkhet and Airport areas and arrested the men, said sources at Rab Headquarters, reports the UNB.

They have been named as Md Akkas Matobbar, 39, of Shariatpur, Enamul Hoque Talukder, 46, of Sylhet, and Abdur Rajjak Bhuiyan, 34, of Brahmanbaria.

During initial interrogation, they reportedly confessed to sending people to Europe by collaborating with a foreign syndicate.

They enticed people with promises of jobs, said Rab Legal and Media Wing Director Mufti Mahmud Khan.

The syndicate first sent people to Libya from Bangladesh. From there, they were sent to Europe, he said.

Each migrant had to pay between Tk 7 and 8 lakh. Of them, Tk 4.5-5 lakh had to be paid before going to Libya and the rest after reaching there.

Human trafficking syndicates usually use three routes to Libya. They are: Bangladesh-Istanbul-Libya; Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka (stay 4-5 days)-Istanbul (transit)-Tripoli; and Bangladesh-Dubai (7-8 days stay)-Amman (transit)-Benghazi-Tripoli.

But the Bangladeshi victims of the May 9 boat capsize were first taken to Kolkata by bus and then to Delhi by air. Then they were flown to Sri Lanka. After several days, they were taken to Tripoli via Istanbul.

Some 40-45 Bangladeshis have remained missing after a boat capsized while attempting to reach Europe from Libya.

The foreign ministry has released names of 39 Bangladeshis who went missing after the accident.