Fifty Bangladeshis return home from India after serving jail terms

Fifty Bangladeshi nationals, including six women, returned home through the Benapole land port on Sunday night (July 5) after serving prison terms in India for illegally entering the country.

They were formally handed over to the Benapole Immigration Police at around 10:00pm by Indian immigration authorities using special travel permits.

The returnees, who hail from Khulna, Narail, Satkhira and several other districts, include 44 men and six women.

The handover took place in the presence of personnel from the Border Security Force (BSF) of India and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

Benapole Immigration Police Officer-in-Charge Saifur Rahman said the Bangladeshis had crossed into India's Tamil Nadu state through illegal routes around three and a half years ago in search of employment.

According to police, they later found work in shops, hospitals, factories and agricultural fields before being arrested by local authorities. An Indian court subsequently sentenced them to two years' imprisonment for illegal entry.

After completing their sentences, the returnees were kept at a shelter facility in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, until their identities were verified and repatriation formalities were completed.

The repatriation was carried out following coordination between the home ministries of Bangladesh and India, officials said.

After completing immigration procedures, they were handed over to Benapole Port Police Station, where representatives of the NGOs Justice and Care and Rights Jashore received them.

Benapole Port Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ashraf Hossain said the two organisations took the returnees to their shelter homes to complete necessary formalities before reuniting them with their families.

The group left Benapole for Jashore shortly before midnight.