23 illegal foreigners given 2yrs conviction

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IMPHAL, May 7: Following special operations led by top level officials of the Manipur police department some months back to detect illegal foreigners in the state, 23 persons have been given two years conviction. However, the fate of other illegal foreigners being kept in judicial custody is still uncertain.

According to a reliable source, a total of 48 illegal foreigners are being kept at Imphal Central Jail.

Of these, 44 are male and out of the remaining four 2 are women along with small children. Of the total number of illegal foreigners without valid paperworks, 23 males have been given 2 years conviction each, following their trial as per the charge against them by the police under the Foreigner Act.

The remaining illegal foreigners are being brought to trial as under trial prisoners (UTP) as per the source.

They were arrested by Manipur police during a special drive to verify foreigners intruding into Manipur in operations conducted at Hatta Golapati in Imphal East, Nagamapal and Uripok in Imphal West, areas under the Lilong police station of Thoubal District and Moreh police station in Chandel District.

Various police stations picked them up as per the sections of Foreigners Act. They were arrested as they could not produce official and/or valid documents when their identities were being verified. They have been kept in judicial custody as per the direction of the court after being produced in court.

Eventually 23 persons among them were convicted following the trial conducted by the court. But others were kept as UTP. Though the illegal foreigners have been kept in judicial custody since some months back, guardians or responsible persons including their families have not come up to inquire about them. For the two women in judicial custody as UTP, some persons who were with them came as visitors.

But for the males, no visitors came till date and no persons came forward for their legal help. Though their families were informed, no response have come in, said the source.

The present condition is though the court has convicted them as per the sections of Foreigner Act, how long the trial of the illegal foreigners being kept as UTP, will last and what happens to the 23 illeegal foreigners when their 2 year term of conviction gets over.

The source further said that most of the foreigners being kept in judicial custody are Bangladesh nationals.

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