August 21, 2024: A man from Tripura’s Sepahijala district returned home after spending 37 years in Bangladesh jail. Shahjahan returned India through the Srimantapur land customs station with the assistance of BSF personnel.

Shahjahan, a resident of Rabindrangar, a border village in Sonamura subdivision, had gone to his in-law’s house in Comilla, Bangladesh, in 1988. During his visit, police raided his relative’s home and arrested him for illegally entering the neighbouring country, officials said.

The injustice faced by Shahjahan came to light a few months ago through media reports. His plight attracted the attention of the Zara Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping immigrants who become trapped in foreign countries, his family said.

Moushahid Ali, the chairman of the Zara Foundation, took swift action to secure Shahjahan's release. Following numerous legal proceedings, Shahjahan was finally handed over to BSF personnel at Srimantapur LCS on Tuesday, they added.

Now 62 years old, Shahjahan left home when he was young and his wife was pregnant. His son saw him for the first time physically upon his return.