Eighteen Bangladeshi women, men and children returned home through Benapole on Wednesday after serving jail terms in India.

Indian Petrapole immigration police handed them over to Bangladeshi authorities at around 5pm under special travel permits.

The returnees include six men, nine women and three children from Jashore, Khulna, Panchagarh, Satkhira, Thakurgaon, Gopalganj, Barishal, Narsingdi, Chattogram, Dinajpur and Lalmonirhat.

Benapole Immigration Police Officer-in-Charge Saifur Rahman said they had illegally crossed into India at different times after being lured by brokers with promises of jobs.

They were arrested while working in households and farms in Kolkata and later sentenced to jail terms ranging from six months to three years or more for illegal entry.

Among them, Anju Begum spent 15 years in an Indian prison.

After completing their sentences, a Kolkata-based human rights organisation kept them at a shelter home. They returned home with the cooperation of the two countries' embassies and special travel permits issued by the Indian government.

Following immigration formalities, the returnees were handed over to Benapole Port Police Station. Human rights organisation Justice and Care later took them into its care and will reunite them with their families.

Anju Begum said she was happy to return to Bangladesh after 15 years.

“Bangladesh is my motherland. I cannot remember how I went to India. I am very happy to be back home. I want to spend the rest of my life in Bangladesh,” she said.

Justice and Care Senior Programme Officer Muhit Hossain said the organisation was keeping the returnees at its shelter home before handing them over to their respective families.