2 Rohingya women get 15 months in jail for illegal immigration

Agra: A local court in UP sentenced two Rohingya women to 15 months in jail for "illegal immigration under the Foreigners Act". Joint director of prosecution, Santosh Upadhyay, told TOI that the court of additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM-1) Kriti Singh ruled that "the women -- Dhairulnisha Begum and Bibi Sara -- had entered India without valid documentation and were residing unlawfully in Aligarh".Begum and Sara -- both of Myanmarese origin -- were arrested by anti-terrorism squad at Uparkot under Aligarh's Kotwali limits in 2023 and they had purportedly admitted to not having valid passports and had crossed the border into India with the help of an "agent". They had been allegedly living in Aligarh for nearly 10 years and used to work as garbage collectors and daily wagers.During the trial, the Aligarh court found the two guilty and sent them to jail on Saturday after imposing a fine of Rs 2,000 on them. In its order, the court stated: "The accused have been sentenced for a year and three months under section 14 of the Foreigners Act along with the fine. In a situation of not paying the imposed fine they'll have to spend 10 days more in prison."On July 24, 2023, 17 people, including 10 women, all purportedly Rohingya, were arrested in a joint operation by the ATS and local police for "illegally residing in Uparkot". Several children were with them, including the two-year-old daughter of one of the convicted women, Bibi Sara. While the court sentenced the two women on Saturday, the trial for the remaining 15 is ongoing in Aligarh.
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