47 Bangladeshis return home after serving sentences in India

Forty-seven Bangladeshi nationals returned home through the Benapole border on Thursday after serving sentences in India for illegally entering the country in search of work.

The group, comprising 43 men and four women, was handed over to Benapole immigration police by India’s Petrapole immigration authorities around 6:30pm under special travel permits.

The return was facilitated through a joint effort by Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry, the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata and West Bengal’s anti-human trafficking task force.

The returnees, from several districts including Satkhira, Narayanganj, Kishoreganj, Barishal, Chandpur, Narail and Barguna, had entered India illegally at different times seeking employment.

They were subsequently detained and housed in shelter homes in Tamil Nadu, including facilities in Attur-Salem, Tiruchirappalli and Trichy. After their nationality was verified, they were issued travel permits for their return to Bangladesh.

A Bangladesh Deputy High Commission delegation formally handed them over at the Benapole-Petrapole no-man’s land in the presence of local officials, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and police personnel.

Representatives of Indian and Bangladeshi government agencies, the BSF, BGB and local NGOs were also present.

Benapole Immigration Officer-in-Charge Saifur Rahman said the returnees were handed over to Benapole Port Police after completing immigration formalities. NGOs Justice and Care and Rights Jessore will assist in reuniting them with their families.