Twenty-four Bangladeshi men and women returned home through the Benapole port after two years of imprisonment in an Indian jail for illegal entry.
The Indian Petrapole Immigration Police handed over the returnees to Benapole Immigration Police on Thursday under a travel permit arrangement.
An NGO named Rights Jashore received the returnees this morning and took them to a shelter home for further assistance before reuniting them with their families.
The returnees are residents of Dhaka, Pabna, and Munshiganj districts.
One of the returnees, Shahana Khatun, said that they had entered India illegally two and a half years ago, lured by the promise of better job opportunities.
They were later arrested by Kolkata police and sentenced to jail for illegal entry.
After completing their prison terms, the Indian NGO named Rescue Foundation took them to a shelter home before facilitating their return.
Imtiaz Ahsanul, officer-in-charge of Benapole Port Police Station said that human traffickers were responsible for luring the individuals to India under false pretences.
The Benapole upazila administration and immigration authorities handed over the returnees to the Benapole Port Police Station.
Taufiq Zaman, field officer of Rights Jessore, confirmed that the returnees will be reunited with their families after being processed through the shelter home.
