Dhaka, March 22 -- After months in detention and jail in India, 33 Bangladeshis -- among them women and children -- have been repatriated through Benapole, marking the end of a cross-border ordeal that reportedly began with a search for livelihood.

The group was handed over to Bangladesh authorities by Indian immigration on Sunday afternoon under a special travel permit, confirmed Syed Mortuza Ali, immigration inspector at the Benapole International Checkpost.

The returnees hail from different districts, including Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Pabna, Narayanganj, Thakurgaon, Kushtia, Rangpur, Cumilla, Netrokona, Gazipur, and Mymensingh.

Mortuza said the individuals had previously crossed into India illegally via different border points w...