Barely 48 hours after mistakenly entering Indian territory and being arrested near the Indo-Pak border, two brothers on Wednesday again crossed the international border headed for their native Sialkot district in Pakistan.

For humanitarian reasons and as a step towards strengthening the peace process between the two countries, "we handed over the brothers to Pak authorities at a flag meeting between the Border Security Force and Pak rangers at the Octerio border out post," BSF commandant Rajesh Gupta told PTI in Suchetgarh on Wednesday.

Gupta, who is in charge of the R S Pura sector in Jammu and Kashmir, said they had ignorantly walked into Indian territory on December 1.

"We thank Indian authorities and specially those who had treated us well in prison here," 16-year-old Rasheed Ahmed told reporters before leaving for his hamlet called Muradali. "Freedom has come to us so fast due to the kindness shown by the government of India."