THANE: A court here has sentenced two Bangladeshi couples to two years of imprisonment for staying illegally in India.
Assistant Sessions Judge S A Sinha convicted the four Bangladeshi nationals last week under the Foreigners Act and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them.
The police raided a hutment colony in the Mira Road area of Thane district on December 28 last year after getting a tip-off, according to the prosecution.
They arrested Uttam Golap Sikandar (27) Mau Uttam Sikandar (24), Allauddin Gani Malik (40) and Muslima Allauddin Malik (38) from there.
The prosecution said the accused admitted that they were Bangladeshi nationals, but failed to produce valid proof of their identity and residence.
The accused told the police that they did petty jobs to earn their livelihood.
After hearing both the sides, the judge said it appears from the record that all the accused are poor people and they entered the country because of their bad financial condition and unemployment.
They did daily wage jobs in India, she noted.
Hence, while imposing the punishment on them, it is necessary to show leniency, the judge observed.
Therefore, considering the situation, the judge sentenced them to two years imprisonment each, and said it is required to give a message to the society and prospective criminals that crime never goes unpunished.
The court also directed authorities concerned to take necessary steps to deport the accused to their country on the completion of their sentence.