Published : 19 Aug 2026, 06:13 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:34 AM
Mohammad Farid was only 10 when he left Bangladesh. Travelling first to Pakistan with his father, he lost both his legs in an “accident” there. However, circumstances did not allow him to remain there either.
Through a trafficking ring, he was later taken from Pakistan to Türkiye. He then lost contact with his country and family, spending the next 25 years away from home.
After around two and a half decades, Farid finally returned to Bangladesh on Tuesday. However, he had no information about the whereabouts of his family members. After an extensive search, he was finally able to trace his family with the assistance of BRAC’s Migration Programme.
Efforts are now under way to reunite Farid with his family and take him back to his family home.
How Farid’s Family Was Traced
Farid arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on a flight from Türkiye around 5:15am on Tuesday. But his return presented another challenge: he was struggling to speak Bangla and had no information about the whereabouts of his family or relatives.
Officials at the airport’s Expatriates’ Welfare Desk later handed him over to staff at BRAC’s Migration Welfare Centre in Ashkona.
The centre’s staff spent the day gathering what information they could from Farid and trying to trace his family.
BRAC said that, with help from local elected representatives, journalists and residents, Farid’s family was traced to Nasir Para in Morichya Palong Union of Ukhiya Upazila in Cox’s Bazar within 12 hours of his return to Bangladesh.
An official from BRAC’s Migration Programme said the biggest challenge following Farid’s return was finding his family, as he could provide only limited information about them.
Posts about Farid were shared on social media, while BRAC staff in Cox’s Bazar contacted local elected representatives and put up posters in different areas.
“Through everyone’s collective efforts, we obtained specific information about Farid’s family by the afternoon and later went to his home to confirm it,” the official said.
Farid said he had travelled by ship to Pakistan with his father, Md Ayub Ali, around 25 years ago, when he was about 10. It was there that he lost both his legs.
After spending around 10 years in Pakistan, Farid said traffickers took him by road to Türkiye.
Staff from BRAC’s Migration Programme in Cox’s Bazar later travelled to Nasir Para in Morichya Palong with the help of local elected representatives and spoke to Farid’s family.
Family members confirmed to BRAC that Farid’s father, Md Ayub Ali, is currently in Pakistan. Ayub has three sons and a daughter, with Farid the eldest.
The family said they lost contact with Farid after he was taken to Türkiye by traffickers.
BRAC is now making arrangements to bring Farid’s brother, Syed Alam, to Dhaka. Farid will then be reunited with his family, the BRAC official said.
