After spending over nine years in India, BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed returned to Bangladesh this afternoon.

"Salahuddin Ahmed departed from Delhi on a flight at 11:00am today and arrived at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 2:15pm," Shairul Kabir Khan, a member of BNP's media cell, told The Daily Star.

According to BNP sources, Salahuddin exited the airport through the VIP gate at 3:00pm after completing the immigration process, with many party leaders and activists welcoming him.

In 2015, after being missing for 62 days, Salahuddin, a former state minister, was found in Shillong, the capital of the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya on May 11.

He was arrested for entering India without valid documents and charged under the Foreigners Act.

Later, Shillong police pressed charges against him in the case.

BNP alleged that Salahuddin was abducted from his home in Uttara, Dhaka, on March 10, 2015, by individuals posing as detectives.

On October 26, 2018, a court in Shillong acquitted him of the charges related to his illegal entry.

This verdict was upheld by a higher court on February 28, 2023, which also directed the Indian government to arrange for his return to Bangladesh.