Family of Saudi returnee Rezia Begum traced after 12 days, to be reunited tomorrow
Rezia’s relatives left for Dhaka tonight to receive her at the BRAC Migration Welfare Centre.
The family of Rezia Begum, who returned to Bangladesh from Saudi Arabia earlier this month in a distressed condition, has been located 12 days after her arrival and will be formally reunited with her tomorrow, authorities said.
Police, with support from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), identified her family by matching her fingerprints with national identity records. Her home was traced to Mamdanagar village in Barlekha upazila of Moulvibazar district, and contact was later established with her family there.
Rezia's relatives left for Dhaka tonight to receive her at the BRAC Migration Welfare Centre. She is scheduled to be formally handed over to her family at 11am tomorrow at the BRAC Learning Centre in Ashkona, opposite the Hajj Camp, in the presence of relatives and officials.
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Rezia arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 12 February at 4:45pm on a Saudi Airlines flight.
At the time of her arrival, she was reported to be in an unstable physical and mental condition and unable to provide her address or details of her family. Members of Civil Aviation Security (AVSEC) immediately transferred her to BRAC's Migration Welfare Centre for safe shelter and assistance in tracing her relatives.
BRAC officials said she did not have a passport, national identity card or any personal documents. Her airline ticket carried only her name, Rezia Begum, and the name "Abdur Nur" listed as father or husband.
The matter was later publicised through media and social media platforms in an effort to identify her.
Following the public appeals, the PBI's Khulna region, led by Superintendent of Police Reshma Sharmin, coordinated with BRAC. PBI officers collected Rezia's fingerprints in Dhaka and matched them with national identity records, confirming her residence in Mamdanagar village.
BRAC representatives later visited the village and located her family. Her son and daughter have already left for Dhaka to receive her.
Officials said a brief handover ceremony would take place tomorrow, formally reuniting Rezia with her family after nearly two weeks of uncertainty.
