A 33-year-old youth who hails from Dharanda village near the Bangladesh border in South Dinajpur and had erroneously sneaked into Bangladesh in 2019 was repatriated to India on Tuesday.

Sources said Manik Debnath went missing from his house on March 8, 2019. His father, Binod, had filed a missing diary with police mentioning that Manik had left home with a bike and some cash.

On Tuesday, Manik, accompanied by officials of the Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh immigration department, walked past the international border at Hilli. His family, officials of South Dinajpur district administration, the police and BSF were present at the border.

“I got into Bangladesh by mistake and was arrested and taken to a police station in Dinajpur district of the neighbouring country. Later, I was produced in court and sent to jail. It is great that I am back home after 28 months,” said Manik.

An official of Bangladesh immigration department said along with Manik, two other Indians, including a minor, were also repatriated back to their country.