Twelve Bangladeshi nationals, including five women and one minor girl, were repatriated to Bangladesh on Tuesday after completing a two-year jail term for illegally entering Indian territory in Tripura.
The Bangladeshi nationals were repatriated through the Agartala integrated check-post in the presence of the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Agartala Arif Mohammed. “It is a joyful moment for the 12 Bangladeshi nationals. They have been repatriated to Bangladesh today,” Mohammed said, thanking the Tripura and Indian government, and the external affairs minister of Bangladesh.
Mohammed said many others who have completed their jail term are yet to be repatriated due to some formalities.
Tripura shares an 856-km long international border with Bangladesh and some of the areas are yet to be fenced. Expressing concern about human trafficking in the region, Mohammed said that people should be more aware of the fake promises made by traffickers.
Hasna Begum, one of the deportees who spent four months in jail followed by 10 months in a shelter home, said she entered the state without proper documents in search of employment. Like Begum, deportee Mohammed Reaz Hossain was also lured by the promise of jobs in India in 2022. They were arrested by the Border Security Force (BSF). Both Begum and Hossain said they were happy at the prospect of meeting their families in Bangladesh.
Mohammad Faruk Hossain was also promised a job with high wages. After his arrest, he got a four-month jail term and spent 11 months in a shelter home.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation, the BSF detained 23 Bangladeshi smugglers and seized 6.2 tonnes of sugar at Samarganja in South Tripura district.
