Indian state police in Odisha have deported three elderly siblings to Bangladesh after detaining them in late November 2025. The family of 63-year-old Muntaz Khan, his 59-year-old brother Insan Khan, and their 70-year-old sister Amina Bibi were informed on 24 December that the trio had been sent across the border. Police said the siblings were identified as Bangladeshi nationals following verification and were handed over to Bangladesh authorities through West Bengal’s Nadia district border post.

The deportation came weeks after the family alleged that the three had gone missing following their detention from Garapur village in Kendrapara district. Odisha police had earlier detained 12 family members on suspicion of being Bangladeshi citizens, releasing nine after nine days. Officials claimed the three deported individuals admitted to being Bangladeshi, while West Bengal police denied receiving any verification request from Odisha. The Ministry of Home Affairs’ May directive requires a 30-day period for citizenship verification before deportation.

Odisha police justified the action by citing allegations that Muntaz Khan’s father migrated from Bangladesh in the 1970s, though the family’s citizenship status remains disputed.