14 Bangladeshis repatriated from India after serving jail terms

Fourteen Bangladeshi citizens, among them women and children, returned to Bangladesh last night via the Benapole International Check Post in Jashore after completing jail terms in India. Indian immigration police handed the group over to Bangladeshi authorities around 10:30 pm under a travel permit arrangement.

The repatriated individuals, all residents of the Jashore and Sunamganj districts, consist of three women, three minors, and eight men. According to one returnee, Jasim Uddin, they had illegally crossed into India on December 12, 2023, with the assistance of human traffickers, hoping to find better employment opportunities.

After reaching Punjab, they worked in various households until their arrest by Punjab Police on February 17, 2024. A court subsequently sentenced them to two years and four months in prison, and they were held at Punjab Central Jail. Following the completion of their sentences, they remained in custody until the repatriation process was finalized.

Ashraf Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Benapole Port Police Station, stated that the returnees were transferred this morning to representatives from the rights organization Justice and Care. This organization will facilitate their reunion with their respective families.

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they had entered India illegally through the Jashore border on December 12, 2023, with the help of human traffickers in search of better employment opportunities.