Thane: A sessions court convicted a Bangladeshi couple of illegally entering and residing in India without valid documents and ordered their deportation after they completed their sentence of one year and 10 days of simple imprisonment.Riyaz Almin Mulla (24) and his wife, Soniya alias Sathi Riyaj Mulla (22), were arrested by Shil-Diaghar police on Jan 26, 2025, after a tip-off about foreign nationals living under false identities in the Uttar Shivgaon area. Acting on the information, a police team set up a naka-bandi and intercepted an autorickshaw carrying the couple. When questioned, they gave vague details about their residence and could not produce passports, visas, or any documents authorising their stay in India. During interrogation, the couple admitted they were residents of villages in Bangladesh and entered India illegally in search of a livelihood. Mobile phones seized from them showed the use of international calling applications, which strengthened the prosecution’s case. While police invoked provisions of the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 1950, and Section 14A of the Foreigners Act, 1946, the court acquitted them of these charges, observing that mandatory legal requirements were not fulfilled. However, it held that the prosecution successfully proved the offence under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, which deals with illegal entry and stay. The court noted that under the Foreigners Act, the burden of proving Indian citizenship lies on the accused, which they failed to discharge. Both admitted during their statements that they were Bangladeshi nationals. Considering the couple spent nearly a year in custody and pleaded poverty, the court imposed a sentence of imprisonment already undergone, with an additional 10 days and a fine of Rs 1,000 each. It ordered the disposal of the seized mobile phones and directed jail and police authorities to initiate immediate deportation proceedings.
