A view of the Indo-Bangla border gate in North Tripura.
A view of the Indo-Bangla border gate in North Tripura. Image: Northeast Now

Two residents originally hailing from Tripura returned home after spending 15 years in Bangladesh jail on the charges under the Arms Act, the police said in Agartala on Saturday.

A police official while talking to media confirmed that the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) handed over the two Indian nationals of Tripura identified as Prasenjit Debbarma, aged around 42 years and Satish Debbarma, aged around 40 years to the Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday.

Later, the BSF handed them over to police and they were sent back to their homes after questioning, he said.

Prasenjit and Satish, residents of western Tripura’s Khowai district, said they went to visit Rema tea garden, situated along the international border between India and Bangladesh in Tripura in 2004. But they unknowingly entered the Bangladesh territory as there was no border fence or demarcation marks.

One of them had told reportedly told the police that the BGB men apprehended them and handed over to the Bangladesh Police. Later the police of the neighbouring country slapped false charges on them, instead of pushing them back to India.

Later, a Bangladesh court sentenced them to 14-year rigorous imprisonment.

Though our jail-term completed a year ago, the authorities did not hand us to the Indian authorities, they had disclosed before the police.

They also thanked the Indian High Commission in Dhaka for intervening into their case and facilitating their return.