Ep 1. Lost Souls

In the first episode of season 2 of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, titled "Lost Souls," the International Response Team (IRT) is called to investigate the disappearance of American residents in Bangladesh. The team is led by Unit Chief Jack Garrett (Gary Sinise) and consists of FBI Agent Clara Seger (Alana De La Garza), cultural anthropologist Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney), medical examiner Mae Jarvis (Annie Funke), and intelligence analyst Russ Montgomery (Tyler James Williams).

The team arrives in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and quickly realizes that the missing individuals are all young girls. They meet with the U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh, who informs them that the girls had been visiting the country as part of a volunteer program, helping to renovate a local school. The team soon discovers that the girls were snatched on their way back to their hotel after visiting a market.

The IRT begins to investigate, and they encounter several challenges due to their lack of familiarity with the local culture, language, and customs. They receive some help from a local police officer named Ravi (Roshan Sethi), who has experience working with American law enforcement before. Ravi assists the IRT by serving as a translator and providing them with helpful cultural insights.

As the team investigates further, they discover that the girls were likely taken by human traffickers. They learn that Bangladesh is a major source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking, particularly of women and children. The traffickers often target vulnerable individuals, such as those living in poverty or fleeing conflict and natural disasters. The IRT realizes that they are up against a complex and powerful criminal enterprise.

The team continues to follow leads and collect evidence, despite facing resistance and threats from the traffickers. They also face challenges communicating with the families of the missing girls, who are not always cooperative or forthcoming with information.

As the investigation unfolds, the IRT begins to suspect that one of the traffickers may have ties to the United States. They enlist the help of the FBI's Cyber division to track down the culprit's online footprint.

Throughout the episode, the team faces many obstacles but continues to work tirelessly to find the missing girls. They are also faced with the harsh reality of the dangers of human trafficking and the devastation it can cause.

Overall, "Lost Souls" is a tense and gripping start to the second season of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. It showcases the IRT's expertise and perseverance in the face of challenging and unfamiliar circumstances. The episode also sheds light on the important issue of human trafficking and the need for global cooperation to combat it.