After living in captivity for about two years in India, 45 Bangladeshi nationals, mostly women, were handed over by the Indian police to the authorities in Bangladesh at Benapole check-post Monday, reports UNB.

Officer-in-charge of the Police Immigration at Benapole check-post Kamruzzaman said the 45 Bangladeshis were arrested by the Indian police back in 2010 for crossing the border illegally.

“The Bangladeshis actually fell in traps by human traffickers and were migrated to that country five years back,” he said adding that they had been given jobs as house-helps in different areas of India.

Three months after the arrest, an Indian non-government organization (NGO), Rescue Foundation, secured the release of the Bangladeshi nationals from the Indian jail and took them to a shelter home.

Later, Bangladeshi human rights organizations, Rights Jessore and National Women Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA), came up and engaged the authorities in both countries to initiate the return of the arrested Bangladeshi nationals.

After a series of correspondence in this regard between the Home Ministries of both countries, the return of the Bangladeshis from the shelter home in India was finalized.

The Indian police handed over the 45 Bangladeshis, including 42 women, one man and two children, to the Bangladesh Police Immigration authorities at 7:45pm on Monday.

The group was then taken to Benapole Port Police Station. The Benapole port police again handed them over to Rights Jessore and BNWLA.

The two human rights organizations took the responsibility to return the 45 people to their respective families.