"We have received her at around 2 o'clock in the afternoon from Indian police at the mission office. She is expected to reach Dhaka by air by 12:00pm tomorrow," Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh Mission in Kolkata Touhid Hossain said by telephone.

He added that the mission issued a "travel permit" for her return and forwarded it for Indian immigration clearance expected to be available later yesterday.

Touhid said despite the Durga Puja holiday, the immigration authorities in Kolkata kept their office open for issuing an "exit permit" for Arifa.

The deputy high commissioner said the tiny tot was staying with Bangladesh Women Lawyers Association (BWLA) President Advocate Salma Ali, who is now in Kolkata to take the baby back home with the authorisation from her parents in Kurigram.

Arifa was abducted on August 31 by an Indian smuggler from her frontier Naodanga village home in Fulbari upazila of Kurigram apparently over a business dispute with her father Aiyub Ali.

After a protracted uncertainty over the procedure of her repatriation, a court of West Bengal's frontier Kutchbihar two days ago ordered the Indian authorities to hand her over to Bangladesh's deputy high commission in Kolkata for her return home.

The Border Security Force (BSF) of India in a prompt action rescued the baby girl and arrested her abductor immediately with the help of Kutchbihar police on a request by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR).