Bongaon woman returns home after spending 8 months in Bangladesh jail

Gede (Nadia): After spending eight months in a Bangladesh prison, 28-year-old Falguni Roy returned home on Monday through the Gede–Darshana Integrated Check Post following a flag meeting between border authorities. A resident of Singri Tengra Colony under Bongaon police station in North 24 Parganas, Roy had been detained for illegally crossing the border in June 2025."She was handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at the Darshana border in Chuadanga district around 10 am," an official said.Roy broke down on entering India. "It is a joy to return to my country. I am grateful to the authorities of India and Bangladesh and to all the organisations who worked tirelessly for my repatriation. Without them, it would not have been possible for me to return to my country and to my home," Roy said.Officials said Roy had travelled to Bangladesh in June 2025 through legal channels to meet her estranged husband and their son in the Swarupkathi area of Pirojpur district. She allegedly faced assault there and was forced out after her passport was taken away by her husband.Left without documents, Roy took shelter at a relative's house in Maheshpur in Jhenaidah district while trying to return to India. When she attempted to cross the border without valid documents, she was detained by the BGB.A case was filed against her at Maheshpur police station for illegal entry into Bangladesh and she was sent to jail. "Although she was sentenced to 4 months and 5 days in two cases, procedural delays in the repatriation process between the two countries extended her stay in prison to 8 months and 10 days," sources said."Roy was later transferred from Jhenaidah jail to Chuadanga prison . Following verification, the Indian High Commission cleared her in Dec, while the final approval from Bangladesh came in m Jan ," the source added.