A total of 21 Bangladeshi teenagers, who were trafficked to India, have returned home through the Benapole checkpost with special travel permits.
Indian immigration police handed them over to Benapole immigration authorities on Wednesday at around 8:30 pm, reported UNB.
The group includes 10 boys and 11 girls, according to officer-in-oharge (OC) of Benapole Immigration Police Imtiaz Bhuiyan.
He said that after completing immigration formalities, the 21 returnees were transferred to Benapole Port Police Station.
Subsequently, two non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Rights Jashore and Justice and Care, took responsibility for their rehabilitation and family reunification.
Rights Jashore received 10 of the teenagers, while Justice and Care took responsibility for the remaining 11.
The repatriated teenagers were identified as Indrajit Mondal, Pranto Mondal, Mihir Jowardar, Khairul Islam, Soikat Alam, Miraj Hossain Rimon, Abu Jubaida San, Yasir Arafat, Abid Ahmed and Apon Biswas.
The girls include Sahida Khatun, Suborna Roy, Snigdha Biswas, Shila Akter, Topa Khanam, Azmira Khatun, Tumpa Mondal, Sumaiya Akter, Dighi Biswas, Sonia Akter, and Sumaiya Akter.
They hail from Dhaka, Keraniganj, Faridpur, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jashore, Narail, Satkhira, Kishoreganj and Cox’s Bazar.
Justice and Care’s Senior Programme Officer Muhit Hossain said that traffickers lured these teenagers with promises of lucrative jobs and smuggled them into India through various border points two years ago. They were later detained by Indian authorities while working and served time in jails.
Following their imprisonment, Indian human rights organisation ‘Rescue Foundation’ sheltered them in its facilities.
“Eventually, the Indian government facilitated their repatriation through special travel permits, enabling their return on Wednesday night. The NGOs will now reunite them with their families on Thursday,” he added.
