Two Bangladeshi women get two-year imprisonment for illegal stay in Maharashtra
A court in Thane has sentenced two Bangladeshi women to two years in prison for illegally entering India and living here without valid documents. Additional
A court in Thane has sentenced two Bangladeshi women to two years in prison for illegally entering India and living here without valid documents. Additional Sessions Judge V G Mohite passed the order on Tuesday after the two accused pleaded guilty to the charges. The women were identified as Shahnaj Bilal Saddar, 43, and Hasina Jabbar Khan, 45. The court also fined them Rs 10,000 each and directed that they be deported to Bangladesh after completing their legal sentences.
Read Full Story According to the prosecution, a team from the police's Anti-Human Trafficking Cell carried out a raid in the Mira Road area of Thane district in Maharashtra on December 3, 2024, and apprehended the two women. The investigation showed that they had crossed into Indian territory unlawfully and were living in rented premises arranged by a co-accused. The defence counsel sought leniency, arguing that both women came from poor backgrounds, were married, had no previous criminal record and were the sole breadwinners of their families.
The defence also filed an application stating that the women wanted to plead guilty. Accepting the plea, the court convicted both women under the Foreigners Act and the Passport Act. Since they had been in custody since their arrest on December 3, 2024, the court granted them a set-off for the period already spent in jail. The judge said he had asked the accused whether there had been any inducement, threat or promise from jail authorities or anybody else to make them plead guilty, but they denied it.
“In these circumstances, I am satisfied that their plea is voluntary,” he said. With the guilty plea accepted, the court sentenced the two women to two years in jail, imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each, allowed a set-off for the time already spent in custody and ordered their deportation to Bangladesh after completion of their sentences. Ends
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