Overview
- The Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate convicted the group under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, imposing two years’ rigorous imprisonment and a ₹10,000 fine on each person.
- Reports differ on the default term for non-payment of the fine, with Hindustan Times citing three months of additional rigorous imprisonment and OrissaPOST quoting two months.
- The nine, including three women, were detained on March 8, 2025 on the Dibrugarh–Chennai Express at Bhubaneswar Railway Station following an intelligence alert.
- Police said the individuals lacked passports or visas and later confessed to entering through a jungle route along the Assam border.
- Investigators seized seven mobile phones and Bangladeshi currency, and a charge sheet was filed on May 5, 2025.