Bangladeshi police have asked the Malaysian government to arrest and extradite two businessmen in an investigation into alleged money laundering, extortion and migrant worker trafficking.

The men – Aminul Islam and Ruhul Amin – allegedly played key roles in a scheme that “fraudulently extorted money from victims” and subjected them to “physical and mental torture”, according to an October 24 letter that the Bangladesh branch. of Interpol sent to his Malaysian counterpart.

Bloomberg News reviewed a copy of the letter, which did not say whether the men had been charged. Police Inspector Ashiqur Rahman, who is part of Interpol’s Bangladesh branch, confirmed the content in a telephone interview on Sunday. A senior Bangladeshi government official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, also confirmed the letter.

The South Asian country’s police have asked the Malaysian government to temporarily stop the use of software provided by Bestinet Sdn, a closely held company that Aminul founded. Malaysian officials have used the software to process and monitor hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from Bangladesh and other countries since at least 2018.

Amin, known as Amin, was born in Bangladesh and gained Malaysian citizenship more than a decade ago. His lawyer said they had not received any information about the letter and categorically denied the allegations made in it.

Bloomberg News sought comment from Ruhul, who is Bangladeshi, by phone and by contacting Catharsis International, a Dhaka-based recruiting firm he owns. A representative for Catharsis said by email that Ruhul denied any allegations and that it “has always operated legally, legitimately and ethically.”

A Bestinet representative said the company was not aware of the letter from Bangladesh police, including the request that Malaysian authorities stop using Bestinet’s software, and declined to comment.

Malaysian police, as well as the nation’s home and foreign ministries, did not respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of Human Resources declined to comment.

Ashiqur said the men were last seen in Kuala Lumpur. He said the Malaysian authorities responded to the letter by asking the Bangladeshi police to send a formal extradition request. These documents are currently being prepared, he said.

Debt slavery

The arrest requests are part of a wider investigation into middlemen and lawmakers involved in sending Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia.

Labor migration is one of Bangladesh’s most important industries, but it is also known to involve taxes that drive workers away with debt and make them vulnerable to abuse when they go abroad.

Bangladesh’s interim government, which was installed in August after student protesters ousted the nation’s longtime leader, has made it a priority to stamp out illegal fees and hold recruitment agencies, bureaucrats and destination countries accountable for welfare of the workers, according to Asif Nazrul, adviser to the organization. Ministry of Foreigners’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.

More than 1 million Bangladeshis have gone to work in Malaysia in the past two decades. Human rights activists have documented numerous cases of Bangladeshi and other migrant workers facing abuses, including debt slavery.

A commission appointed by the Malaysian government in 2019 found that the recruitment process was rife with fraud and that workers were charged excessive fees that led to forced labour. In a 109-page report, the panel recommended the government stop using third-party service providers, including Bestinet.

Having “multiple service providers also cascades unnecessary costs from taxes and fees imposed on both foreign workers, employers and sometimes the government,” the report said.

Bestinet said it complies with all laws in both Bangladesh and Malaysia.