Crimes Intensify in Refugee Camps in Cox’s Bazar District

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Global Arakan Network November 5, 2025

Muslim Refugee Camp in Bangladesh (Photo credit: Catholic News Agency)

Crimes in Muslim refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar District are reportedly worsening, with rising instability and increasing incidents of murder, drug trafficking, and abductions, according to camp authorities.

Power struggles between armed groups inside the camps have led to killings, while some groups are also engaging in drug trading, extortion, and kidnapping for ransom.

Records show that between 2017 and 2025, refugee camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf towns experienced 290 murders, along with a total of 4,053 criminal cases — including rape, disappearances, drug-related crimes, and robberies.

In just the first eight months of this year, there were 250 criminal cases, including 18 murders, 150 drug cases, 50 kidnappings, and 12 rapes, according to officials from the district police department.

Security personnel patrol the Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Bangladesh after Muslim leader Mohib Ullah was killed. (Photo: 2021, Munir Uz Zaman / AFP via Getty Images)

Cox’s Bazar District Police Chief Saifuddin Shaheen stated, “About 64 percent of crimes in the district are committed by Muslim refugees. We are still figuring out which legal frameworks apply to refugees living or married outside the camps.”

Shamsu-Ddouja, the Deputy Commissioner of the Rohingya Refugee Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), said efforts are underway to prevent refugees from becoming involved in criminal activities: “We’re implementing programs involving religious leaders, youth, and fishermen to discourage refugees from participating in crimes.”

Following the Myanmar military’s 2017 genocide against Muslims in Arakan State, hundreds of thousands fled to Bangladesh. The country now faces severe social and economic pressures as a result of hosting the large refugee population.

source@arakanbaynews