Bhubaneswar: A court in Bhubaneswar Tuesday sentenced nine Bangladeshis, including three women, to two years of rigorous imprisonment each for infiltrating into India.
The sentence was pronounced by the court of Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate, Bhubaneswar.
Apart from two years’ RI, the court also imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 each on the nine Bangladeshis. Default in the payment of the amount would attract an additional jail time of two months each, Special Prosecutor Rashmiranjan Brahma said in a statement issued by Odisha Police.
The Bangladeshis were accused of violating the provisions under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946, which prescribes penalties for violating the Act, including overstaying a visa, breaching conditions, or disobeying orders. This Act is considered a key provision for handling illegal, unauthorised, or overstaying foreign nationals in India, an official said.
According to the prosecution, the Bangladesh nationals were apprehended at Bhubaneswar railway station March 8, 2025.
“During interrogation, they gave evasive answers and tried to escape from the clutches of the raiding team. They also failed to produce passport, visa or any other valid travel document,” the statement said.
However, the Bangladeshis later confessed that they had come to India in a clandestine manner without any valid document through a jungle area in Assam.
Police said after a successful investigation, a charge sheet was submitted on May 5, 2025 against the accused persons.
The convicted Bangladesh nationals were identified as Md Hasim (46), Sajib Khan (24), Allam Shaika (41), Md Azeem (40), Dilara Sheikh (45), Md Soha Talukdar (36) Karima Begum, (25) Monira Begum (30) and Sahana Begum (45).
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