Mumbai: Eight Bangladeshi nationals convicted for illegally living in India

A sessions court on Tuesday convicted eight Bangladeshi nationals for living illegally in India using forged documents. They have been sentenced to four-years of rigorous imprisonment.

The eight men - Karim Shaikh, Apan Shaikh, Masum Shaikh, Sohel Shaikh, Sujan Shaikh, Shariful Shaikh, Tuhel Shaikh and Ridoi Shaikh - have been in custody since 2018 after their arrest in the offence. The sentence given to them will be deducted from the time they have already spent in prison.

On Tuesday, Additional Sessions Judge Dr. AA Joglekar convicted them for the offences of cheating, those related to forgery, violation of the Foreign Citizens Act and sentenced them to four-years of rigorous imprisonment. A ninth man who had stood trial in the case - Abu Shaikh, has been acquitted. 

It is in Shaikh’s workshop in Charkop that the eight men had been working. They had been brought to him by an agent, who is a wanted accused in the case. Public Prosecutor Abhijeet Gondwal said the prosecution had examined two witnesses - one, a police sub-inspector attached with Nagpada’s Anti-Terrorism Squad - who was the informant in the case. Another witness was a BMC official who had testified regarding birth certificates produced by some of the accused. She had told the court that no such document was found in the civic body’s records as having been issued by it. 

The court has directed that upon completion of their sentence, the men be deported by jail authorities to their country in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs, other ministries and embassies of their country. It has also imposed a fine of Rs. 10,000 each on the men. In default of paying it, they will have to spend an additional three months in prison.