Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Shahpura police arrested an Uzbek woman for allegedly staying illegally in India after the expiry of her passport and visa. The woman, identified as Nilofar Bakhromokha, was found living with a man from West Bengal in the Trilochan Nagar area under Shahpura police station limits.
Police received information on Tuesday that a foreign national was residing in the locality without valid documents. According to police, the landlord informed authorities that tenant Sajid Hussain was hurriedly packing his belongings and preparing to vacate the rented room without prior notice. Suspecting something unusual, police reached the spot and conducted a search.
During the inspection, police found the Uzbek woman inside the rented accommodation with luggage reportedly packed.
During questioning, police learnt that Nilofar, a resident of Uzbekistan, had befriended Sajid through social media. Sajid, originally from West Bengal, works in a private firm and was staying in the rented room. Police said the woman had arrived in Bhopal around 10 days ago to meet Sajid and had been staying with him since then.
Initially, police suspected Sajid to be a foreign national as well, but verification of his Aadhaar card and other identity documents later confirmed that he is an Indian citizen from West Bengal.
Police are now investigating when the woman entered India and in which other cities she stayed before arriving in Bhopal. TI Santosh Makram said police are also probing whether the duo had links to any suspicious activities.
Visa and passport found expired
Initial investigation revealed that Nilofar’s visa and passport had expired, making her stay in India illegal. Police recovered the expired travel documents from her possession and registered a case against Nilofar under relevant sections of the Foreigners Act and against Sajid under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Officials said she had neither informed local police nor authorities despite overstaying after the expiry of her documents. Police are also examining Sajid’s role in sheltering a foreign national without informing local authorities, which is mandatory.
