9 kidnapped Bangladeshis return from Iran

In this April 17 photo shows the 12 migrant workers, who landed at Shahjalal International Airport after their return from Iran. They had been abducted in Iran and held hostage there for months. Photo: Star

Nine Bangladeshi migrants, who were rescued by Iranian police from the clutches of traffickers, returned home this morning.

A flight carrying them landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital around 10:40am, said Mojibul Haque, senior assistant superintendent of police of Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The victims -- Halim, Mohsin, Sohrab, Sahabuddin, Samar Uddin, Tamijuddin, Zillur Rahman, Ridoy and Ramij Ali -- were taken to the CID office for interrogation.

The Iranian police rescued at least 80 Bangladeshis, including the nine, with the help of Bangladesh Embassy in Tehran and CID between February and March.

Rights Jessore, an NGO, with the help of the Bangladesh embassy arranged their repatriation.

Twelve out of 80 rescued migrants returned home in the first phase on April 17.

The traffickers, who also happen to be Bangladeshi, abducted their fellow countrymen from the UAE for ransom and took them to Iran.

The migrants were abducted last year by a gang of Bangladeshi human traffickers based in Iran. The gang persuaded the migrants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman to cross into Iran and have lucrative jobs in Turkey, Greece, and Italy with huge salaries.

The victims were held hostage in Iran's port city Bandar Abbas. The gang collected ransoms from 11 migrants while the other was subjected to forced labour.