The bodies of eight Bangladeshis, who died in a boat capsize off the coast of Tunisia while crossing the Mediterranean Sea, have been handed over to their families from Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
Airport police station Sub-Inspector Jahangir Alam, also the investigation officer of the case, handed over the bodies to the relatives in the presence of Dhaka Executive Magistrate Sayem Imran on Friday afternoon.
Since autopsies had already been performed in Tunisia, no new autopsies were conducted.
The deceased are Sajal Bairagi, 22, Noyon Biswas, 18, Mamun Sheikh, 24, Kazi Sajib, 18, Kayser Khalifa, 35, Rifat Sheikh, 24, Russel Sheikh, 25 and Imrul Kayes Apon, 23.
SI Jahangir Alam said: "After checking the necessary documents in the presence of the magistrate, we handed over the bodies to their relatives.”
"A case has been filed under the human trafficking act. Two accused have been arrested in the case. They are Jubaraz and Kamal. They were arrested, remanded and interrogated extensively. All the information found in the interrogation is being verified. This is an international racket, all those who have connections with them in the country and outside the country will be brought under the law.”
A boat, carrying 52 passengers and a sailor from the coast of Zuwarah on its way to Europe, sank off the Tunisian coast on Thursday.
Out of the 44 survivors, 27 were Bangladeshis, with others eight from Pakistan, five from Syria, and four from Egypt.
Among the nine fatalities, eight were identified as Bangladeshis and one as a Pakistani national.