A total of 172 Bangladeshi nationals voluntarily returned home from Libya early Thursday after being lured by human traffickers and facing alleged kidnapping and torture.

They arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 4:51am on a Buraq Airlines flight from Misrata.

Their return was facilitated by the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in coordination with Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, according to a press release.

Most of the returnees had entered Libya after being lured by human traffickers, hoping to reach Europe illegally by sea. Many allegedly experienced kidnapping and torture at different times during their stay in the country.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant ministries, along with IOM representatives, welcomed the returnees at the airport.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged them to share their experiences with others to raise awareness of the risks of irregular migration.

IOM provided each returnee with travel expenses, food items, primary healthcare and temporary accommodation, if needed.

The ministries, the Bangladesh mission in Tripoli and IOM are working together to ensure the safe repatriation of Bangladeshi nationals detained at various detention centres in Libya.