Bangladeshi Nationals Get 2-Year Jail Term for Illicit Border Crossing into India
Image Source: Internet
A Bhubaneswar court has handed down a two-year prison sentence to nine Bangladeshi nationals for entering India without proper documentation. The group, comprising six men and three women, was arrested in March 2025 after being intercepted on a train in Odisha while traveling from Assam to the southern coast. According to inspector Manoj Kumar Sethi, who led the investigation, the group was found guilty under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946, which carries a maximum punishment of five years. The convicts were also fined ₹10,000 each, with an additional three months in prison if they fail to pay. The individuals, from four districts in Bangladesh, were found with seven mobile phones and Bangladeshi currency when arrested. They were identified as Md Hasim, Sajib Khan, Allam Shaika, Md Azeem, Dilara Sheikh, Md Soha Talukdar, Karima Begum, Monira Begum, and Sahana Begum. This incident highlights the ongoing issue of undocumented migrants entering India, a problem that has been addressed by Odisha's chief minister, Mohan Majhi, who last year revealed that over 3,700 such individuals had been identified across the state.
