Bhubaneswar, February 4: A local court in Bhubaneswar sentenced nine Bangladeshi nationals to two years of rigorous imprisonment for entering India without valid travel documents, including passports and visas.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on the convicted illegal immigrants. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional three months of rigorous imprisonment.
According to police sources, the Odisha Police’s Special Task Force (STF) arrested ten Bangladeshi nationals, including a minor, at Bhubaneswar Railway Station on March 8, 2025, based on reliable information.
Special Public Prosecutor R.R. Brahma stated that during interrogation, the suspects provided evasive answers and attempted to flee from the raiding team. They were unable to present any valid travel documents and admitted to secretly entering India at night through the forested areas of Assam without proper passports or visas.
The Bangladeshi nationals had entered India clandestinely and concealed their true identities while residing in Bhubaneswar. The STF registered a case and apprehended them.
Following a successful investigation, a charge sheet was filed against the accused on May 5 of last year under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946, for violating Indian immigration laws. During the trial, the prosecution examined six witnesses and presented 14 relevant documents.
Meanwhile, the minor apprehended in the case has been sent to a correctional home in Berhampur as per the orders of Bhubaneswar’s Juvenile Justice Board.
Notably, the Odisha government has recently intensified efforts to identify and deport Bangladeshi nationals residing illegally in various parts of the state. In response to a question in the Odisha Assembly in December 2025, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi stated that since the BJP-led government took office in June 2024, 51 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have been identified in Odisha.
–