45 Bangladeshis have returned home after serving three years in an Indian jail for illegal trespass. Forty-two of them were young girls.
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) handed them over to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and Immigration Police at the Benapole border late on Monday. Benapole Immigration Police OC Kamruzzman said there were two children and a youngman in the group apart from the 42 young women hailing from different parts of Bangladesh.
Human traffickers had sent them to India at various points of time, he said. Indian police detained them in Mumbai and a court sentenced them to three years in prison for trespassing without valid travel documents.
They had been staying at a shelter home of Rescue Foundation, a private organisation, at Mumbai after they finished serving their terms. nOC Kamruzzaman said the group had been handed over to the Benapole Port Police Station.
Executive Director of Jessore-based human-rights body Rights, Binoy Krishna Mallik, told bdnews24.com that the girls would be returned to their parents with help from the Bangladesh Mohila Ainjibi Samiti.
They returned to Bangladesh after India agreed to provide special travel permit.
45 Bangladeshis return from India - bdnews24.com