The Criminal Investigation Divisioin’s Musaid Branch announced the release of 48 irregular migrants who had been detained inside a warehouse east of Tobruk, where they were being held in preparation for smuggling them by boat to the Italian coast.

The department explained in a post on its Facebook page that the rescued migrants included 40 Bangladeshi nationals and 8 Egyptian nationals, who had been held in a warehouse in the Shamas area before the site was raided, they were freed, and transported to the branch headquarters to complete legal procedures.

The agency added that the operation followed information received from the Benghazi Security Operations Center regarding a group of migrants calling for help, prompting the branch’s investigative team to act immediately, gather information, and pinpoint the location before storming the site and rescuing those detained.

The department confirmed that the rescued migrants are in good health, noting that it continues its efforts to combat illegal migration networks and protect lives from the dangers of exploitation and extortion.