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Five mentally retarded Bangladeshis who were detained in India returned to the country through the immigration check-post in Brahmanbaria on Friday.
The returnees are Santosh Deb of Chattogram, Bijoy Chumu of Narayanganj, Moyna Begum of Manikganj, Rozina Begum of Patuakhali and Kulsum Begum of Cumilla. They were stranded in India for 5 to 10 years.
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They were handed over to their families at Akhaura Land Port at noon.
Arif Mohammad, assistant high commissioner of Bangladesh in Tripura, told UNB that these Bangladeshis were detained by law enforcement in Tripura in a mentally imbalanced state. They later underwent treatment at the Modern Psychiatric Hospital in Agartala following a court order.
After their recovery, initiatives were taken to bring them back to the country, he said.
Several other Bangladeshis are undergoing treatment at the hospital. “They will be returned to the country in phases,” he added.
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Apart from Arif, First Secretary Rezaul Haque, First Secretary and Head of Embassy SM Asaduzzaman, Akhaura Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rumana Akter, Head of Brac Migration Programme Shariful Hasan, and some volunteers, among others, were present during the handover programme.