12 trafficking victims return from India via Akhaura
Twelve Bangladeshi nationals, including six women, who were trafficked to India returned home today.
They entered Bangladesh via the Akhaura International Immigration Check Post from Agartala in India's Tripura in the afternoon, reports our Brahmanbaria correspondent.
They were handed over to their families through the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala.
Meanwhile, BRAC Migration Program provided them with food, counselling services and cash as emergency assistance.
According to Assistant High Commission officials and Brac Migration Programme press release, the 12 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested at different times for illegal entry into Tripura.
Then, they were sentenced and kept in a local security home for six months to two years on court orders.
Later, their citizenship was verified, and the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala obtained the Indian government's no-objection certificate for their repatriation.
The group of returnees comprises Jaba Rani Roy and her son Jagdish Roy of Sunamganj's Jagannathpur, Mst Beauty of Netrakona's Purwadhala, Riyad Hossain of Chandpur's Nishchintpur, Mst Bina Begum and Sheikh Sadi of Jashore's Abhaynagar, Shahina Begum of Naogaon's Atrai, Shamim Mia and his brother Sohan Mia of Jamalpur's Melandah, Faruq Hossain and Asma Begum of Jamalpur's Islampur, and Trishna Adhikari Tisha of Jhalkathi's Rajapur.
Tisha was lodged in Jawaharlal Nehru Balika Nibas in Agartala, and the rest were in Narsinghgarh Detention Centre after the sentence.
The rescued Bangladeshi citizens said they were lured to India with promises of employment by brokers.
During their handover, the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala Arif Mohammad, the first secretary of the Commission Md Al Amin, Akhaura Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rabeya Akhter, Assistant Commissioner (Land) Prashanta Chakraborty, BRAC Migration Program Manager Sajib Kumar Pandey, Manager Md Hossain Khan, Deputy Manager Shayla Sharmin, and Akhaura Immigration In-charge Hasan Ahmed Bhuiyan were present.
Assistant High Commissioner Arif Mohammad said, "Public awareness needs to be strengthened to prevent human trafficking and illegal entry in the future."
The family members of Jaba Rani Roy and Jagdish Roy, who returned to the country, said that they entered India for medical treatment about a year and a half ago through brokers.
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