Five Indian children trafficked to Bangladesh return after 24 days

Twenty-four days after being trafficked to Bangladesh, five Indian children, including a toddler, from the north-eastern state of Tripura returned home on Monday evening.

“Five children from Gokulpur, under RK Pur Police Station in Gomati district of Tripura, were trafficked by a Bangladeshi woman Rehana Begum on Oct 24,” said Uttam Bhaumik, Superintendent (operation) of Tripura Police.

They were detained by police at Companiganj under Noakhali district in Bangladesh and sent back on Monday evening through the Belonia Muharighat check post.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) handed the children over to the BSF, Bhaumik added.

Modern technology and joint efforts by the security forces and authorities of both nations facilitated the quick return of the children to their country.

“We used technology like WhatsApp to exchange information and photos. That helped to identify and return the children very fast,” SP Bhaumik said. 

One Rehana Begum, 50, left her house in Gokulpur under RK Pur police station in Gomati district of Tripura with five children around midday on Oct 24 to take part in a Muharram procession.

The children were later identified as Shamim Choudhury, Shahin Choudhury, Takkin Choudhury, Nasrin Begum and Md Nahid Hossain.

When the woman did not return with the children, their parents lodged a diary with the RK Police, who immediately alerted the border guards as they suspected the group’s entry into Bangladesh.

Rehana, wife of one Bahar Ullah, is originally a resident of Musapur of Companiganj in Noakhali. She has been residing in Tripura for some time.

She crossed the border with the children through Sonamura of Sepahijala district in Tripura.

She was later arrested by Companigonj police of Noakhali as they became suspicious of her movements with so many children.

When one of the children gave police his address and his father’s cell number, they contacted him over the phone.

Police later produced Rehana along with the children in court. She was sent to jail custody while the children were sent to a juvenile home in Chittagong.

Around 7pm on Monday, Belonia Muharighat check post Subedar Rafique Ahamed of 4th battalion of BGB handed over the children to the Company Commander of 89th battalion of BSF Kiranlal Rathor in the presence of police officials.

The children were handed over in good health to their worried parents.

While Rehana’s motive is not clear, it is suspected that she may have been engaged in child trafficking activities.

Of the 4,096km India-Bangladesh border, Tripura shares some 856 km of it with Bangladesh and of which more than 90 percent has been fenced.

However, some small pockets remain, through which smuggling, human trafficking and trans-border crime are frequent.