10 Bangladeshi trafficking victims return home from India
Many Bangladeshi victims are lured into India through various border points by brokers from both sides, officials said
Ten Bangladeshi nationals who were trafficked to India safely returned home this evening.
They entered Bangladesh via the Tamabil border check post from Dawki in Indian Meghalaya state on Saturday (25 November) morning, reads a press release of the Brac Migration Programme.
They were handed over to their families through the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Guwahati.
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According to family members and Assistant High Commission officials, the ten Bangladeshi victims were arrested at different times for illegal entry into Meghalaya.
They were subsequently sent to jail by the court. Later, their citizenship was verified, and the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Meghalaya obtained the Indian government's no-objection certificate for their repatriation.
The group of returnees comprises Kamil Ahmed, Bahar Uddin, Kawsar Ahmed, and Faisal Alam from Kanaighat upazila in Sylhet; Sabura Khatun, Halima Khatun, Hosne Ara Khatun, and Khaja Moin Uddin from Bhuyapur in Tangail; Russell Jamaddar from Nangalkot in Cumilla, and Md Ibrahim Hawladar from Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj.
Of them, Sabura Khatun, Halima Khatun, Hosne Ara Khatun, and Khawaja Moin Uddin belong to the same family.
The rescued Bangladeshi citizens said they were lured to India with promises of employment by brokers.
Indian police arrested them for illegal entry and later they were sentenced to nine months imprisonment in Zoai District Jail.
Shariful Hasan, associate director of the Brac Migration Programme and Youth Platform, said, "The Bangladesh-India land border is the sixth largest worldwide. Exploiting this vast expanse, human traffickers lure people with promises of opportunities or overseas work. This underscores the critical need for heightened awareness."
Ranu Mia, officer-in-charge of the Tamabil Immigration Police check post; Batskamem Nonibari, deputy superintendent of Joai District Jail in India's Meghalaya; Shayla Sharmin, deputy manager of Brac Migration Programme, and family members of the returnees are present during their handover to Bangladesh.
