5 mentally-challenged Bangladeshi nationals, missing for several years, sent home

At least five mentally challenged Bangladeshi nationals, who went missing after entering Indian territory several years ago, have been found, and treated at the Modern Psychiatric hospital in Agartala and were sent home via Agartala-Akhaura Integrated Check Post on Friday.

Agartala: At least five mentally challenged Bangladeshi nationals, who went missing after entering Indian territory several years ago, have been found, and treated at the Modern Psychiatric hospital in Agartala and were sent home via Agartala-Akhaura Integrated Check Post on Friday.

Speaking with ETV Bharat, Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Agartala Arif Mohammod conveyed his thanks to the Government of Tripura and the Government of India for providing all the necessary support and also some help from Bangladesh authorities in the repatriation of these stranded people. “Today is a very happy day for us since after a very long time we were finally able to hand over five stranded Bangladeshi people who were stuck here in Agartala. I successfully handed them over to their respective relatives. I am very thankful to the Government of Tripura and the Government of India for providing all the necessary support to repatriate these stranded people”, the Bangladesh envoy said. He said today they have handed over five people who have proven to be Bangladeshi citizens.

“Every now and then we used to hear that many people are actually found by the law enforcement agencies of Tripura who are mentally not stable enough to express their own address and identity. With the order of the court, these five patients have been treated in a Modern Psychiatric Hospital in Agartala and when they are mentally found enough to express their own address and names, their relatives, we took that information and send it back to the Bangladesh government and with the help of Bangladesh government, we could confirm that whatever they were saying is genuine”, the Bangladesh official said.

The five people have been identified as Sontosh Deb of Chattagram, Bijoy Chunu of Narayanganj, Moina Begum of Manikgonj, Rogina Begum of Patuakhali, and Kulsum Begum of Cumilla in Bangladesh. Among them, three were found in 2018 and two were found in 2015. In the last three years around 15 such people were repatriated from Agartala to Bangladesh.