An official announcement yesterday said the arrested are ringleader Mizanur Rahman and his accomplices Abu Yussuf Muhammad, Haydar Hassan and Mustafa Kamal.

They were involved in "illegal trafficking of Bangladeshis through Morocco" over to the western world according to an official press release from Dhaka.

These manpower smugglers let down many job seekers who had either landed in prisons or perished at sea.

Following information from Bangladesh Embassy in Rabat, the Moroccan authorities dismantled their smuggling network in the course of which nine different nationals, including the four Bangladeshis, were apprehended.

A Bangladeshi called 'The King', Mizanur Rahman, ran the network and was reported to have relations with security and administrative offices in different countries.

The arrested Bangladeshi nationals are being tried in a Moroccan court and if found guilty will be sentenced to imprisonment for a certain period of time before they are deported to Bangladesh.

As per information received from Morocco these traffickers had allured helpless Bangladeshi youths over the last four years by promising them a safe passage to Europe in exchange for money.

Many of the victims who went through various travel agencies remained stranded after being abandoned by their local agents and all of them sought to return home, Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment said in the press release.

At least 15-20 Bangladeshis met their tragic end on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach Europe in makeshift boats.