Total of 135 fishermen returned to their homes in Wesꦿt Bengal's South 24 Parganas after spending over a year in aꦗ Bangladeshi jail, their union said on Sunday.
Due to strong currents in the Bay of Bengal, eight trawlers with these fishermen on board entered 🔯the Bangladeshi waters in June last year, it said.
Th༺ey were intercepted by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and handed over to the local police at Mongla Port in Khulna, said Satinath Patra, the secretary of Sundarban Saamudrik Matsyajibi Sramik Union.
After coordinated efforts at different levels, including the Unio💫n Home Ministry, and with the cooperation of the Bangladeshi authorities, they were released from the neighboring country on October 3, he said.
They reached different ghats of K𝔉akdwip♉ on Thursday, he added.
"We are happy that they could come back to their families finally. These fishermen are residents of different villages in Kakdwip and Namkhana,&quꩲot; Patra said.
"Two more trawlers in which 30 fishermen were o🍌n board are still in Bangladesh. Efforts are on for their return," he said.
(Inputs from PTI)
