Two B'deshi couples get 2-yr jail for illegal stay in India

A Thane court has sentenced two Bangladeshi couples to two years' imprisonment for staying illegally in India.

Assistant sessions judge Ms S A Sinha convicted the four Bangladeshi nationals last week on charges under the Foreigners Act and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on them.

According to the prosecution, the police raided a hutment colony in the Mira Road area of Thane district on December 28 last year after getting a tip-off.

The police arrested the four people -- Uttam Golap Sikandar, 27, MauUttamSikandar, 24, AllauddinGaniMalik, 40, andMuslimaAllauddinMalik, 38 -- from there.

The prosecution further said the accused admitted that they were Bangladeshi nationals but failed to produce a valid proof of their identification and residence.

The accused told the police that they did petty works to earn their livelihood.

After hearing both the sides, the judge said it appears from the record that all the accused are poor people and they entered the country because of their bad financial condition and unemployment.

They did daily wage jobs in India, she noted.

Hence, while imposing the punishment on them, it is necessarytoshowleniency, the judge observed.

Therefore, consideringthe situation, the judge sentenced them to two years imprisonment each, and said it is required to give a message to the society and prospective criminals that crime never goes unpunished.

The court also directed the authorities concerned to take necessarystepstodeport theaccused to their country on the completion of their sentence.