The bodies of eight Bangladeshi citizens who died in a fire on a boat which later sank off the coast of Tunisia while trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe have arrived at Dhaka airport on Thursday.
According to Flight Aware, the Saudi Airlines' SV808 carrying the bodies landed at Hazrat Shahjalal Internation Airport at 11:49am this morning, 21 minutes earlier than its expected arrival.
Earlier on Wednesday [Bangladesh time], the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya announced that the bodies would arrive in Bangladesh on Wednesday via a Facebook post.
"The coffins carrying the bodies are scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 12:15pm on May 2 in a Saudia Airlines flight," the post read.
Officials of the mission handed over the bodies to the authorities at Tunisia International Airport on Tuesday in the presence of Major General (retd) Abul Hasnat Mohammad Khairul Bashar, the Bangladeshi Ambassador to Libya.
The Facebook post of the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya said officials from the embassy in Tripoli worked closely with Tunisia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local city authorities to complete the autopsy, identification, issuance of death, and medical certificates immediately following the accident.
Among the eight deceased, Sajal, Noyon Biswas, Mamun Sheikh, Kazi Sajib, and Kaiser Khalifa were residents of Madaripur district, while Rifat, Russel, and Imrul Kayes were from Gopalganj district.
The Africa wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also coordinated with other ministries to repatriate the bodies. The necessary expenses are being covered by funds from the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, with the help of the home and law ministries.On February 15, at least nine died when a boat carrying 52 migrants of different nationalities heading to Europe sank in the Mediterranean Sea following a fire accident.
Eight of them were Bangladeshi nationals.
Among the 44 rescued, 27 were Bangladeshis, 8 Pakistanis, 5 Syrians, and 4 Egyptians.
Case filed, two brokers arrested
According to the police, Sajal Bairagi's father, Sunil Bairagi, filed a case at the Hazrat Shajalal International Airport police station on April 19.
Two suspects were arrested in the case.
The case was filed on 19 April under sections 302/34 of the Penal Code and the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act, and the arrests were made within two days.
In the case documents, Sunil Bairagi alleged that his son Sajal Bairagi wanted to go to Italy in hopes of a better life. Sajal's acquaintances, Yubraj Kazi, 24, and Mosharof Kazi, who resides in Libya, offered to send him to Italy legally in exchange for Tk14 lakh.
Sajal Bairagi and his family agreed to this proposal.
With mutual consent, Sajal gave Tk2.5 lakh and his passport to Yubraj Kazi at his home in Gopalganj.
He was taken to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 3December 30.
Before entering the airport, Yubraj Kazi took an additional Tk5 lakh in cash from Sajal.
He left for Dubai at 6am on December 31.
On 8 January, Sajal's father, Sunil, went to Yubraj's home in Gopalganj and handed over another Tk6.5 lakh.
However, Sunil has not been able to contact his son since then.
He later learned through social media that Sajal was among the eight Bangladeshis who died in the boat accident off the Tunisian coast.
Sunil alleged that a group of 20 people, through mutual conspiracy, lured the eight dead Bangladeshi citizens with the promise of a better life and trafficked them illegally from the country to abroad in exchange for a large sum of money.
"Knowing they were sending them to certain death, they put them on a small boat in turbulent seas and caused their deaths by sinking them into the water," he said.
Shariful Islam Hasan, associate director of Brac Migration Programme and Youth Platform said 11 other Bangladeshis on the boat have returned to the country. Two of them from Madaripur contacted Brac.
"They alleged that the eight Bangladeshis were murdered. Since a lawsuit has been filed, I hope the investigation by law enforcement will bring more details to light," he added.
