Tripura court sentences 5 Bangladeshi nationals to 2 years for illegal entry

Five Bangladeshi nationals, including a couple, were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment by a court in Tripura’s Unakoti district on Wednesday for illegally entering India and violating the Passport Act and the Immigration and Foreigners Act in two separate cases, police said.

The three men, identified as Imran Hossain, Arman Hossain and Manir Hossain, were residents of Comilla district of Bangladesh. Police officers said they were detained along with two Indian touts at Paiturbazar motorstand in Kailasahar, Unakoti district.

During interrogation, police found that the Bangladeshi nationals had entered Indian territory through the Rangauti border, under the Irani police station in Kailasahar, with the help of the Indian touts on February 1 this year.

They did not have legal documents with them when they entered the state, officers added.

The court sentenced them to two years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 10,000 each. If they fail to pay the fine, they will have to undergo an additional two months of imprisonment. They were convicted under Sections 21/23 of the Immigration and Foreigners’ Act and other relevant sections of the BNS.

In a separate incident, police detained a couple along with a minor child from a newly constructed building in Kailasahar on June 10 last year.

They were identified as Shiuli Begam and Sahid Sekh, both residents of Bangladesh’s Rangpur district.

During interrogation, they confessed that they had entered India illegally and were trying to return to Bangladesh.

After the trial, the court found them guilty and sentenced them to two years of rigorous imprisonment, imposing a fine of Rs. 10,000 each. If they fail to pay the fine, they will have to undergo an additional two months of imprisonment. They were convicted under Section 03 of the IPP Act and Sections 14(a)(b) of the Foreigners Act.