Latehar man unites with family after 12 years in Bangla jail
LATEHAR: A man from Barwadih block of Latehar district returned home on Monday after spending 12 years in a jail in Bangladesh.
Border Security Force (BSF) officials brought Mahendra Singh (45), a tribal, to Barwadih police station from Tripura on Sunday after he was handed over by Bangladeshi authorities.
“Mahendra was handed over to his elder brother Mahabir Singh at a function,” Barwadih police station in-charge Ratan Singh said.
Mahendra, originally hailing from Hundru village under Latehar police station, shifted to his wife’s village Kerh-Gari in Barwadih after marriage. Following his wife’s death in 1995, he left home.
“After leaving home, I wandered here and there for some years and did not know when I crossed the borders. The Bangladeshi police caught me and put me in jail,” Mahendra told Barwadih police. He speaks in Bangla as he has forgotten his mother tongue.
His elder brother Mahabir said, “After searching for Mahendra for a year, we lost hope that we could ever find him. We didn’t know that he was imprisoned. Today is the happiest day for us as we have united with our brother.”
Bangladeshi officials informed their Indian counterparts about Mahendra and sought details about his home and family members two years ago after he told jail authorities that he belonged to Gari village in Latehar, Ratan Singh said.
“Following a central government’s directive, the district administration found out details about Mahendra’s village and his family. Based on the findings, Mahendra was brought to Barwadih by BSF personnel,” he said.