Assam: Bangladeshi national gets 3-year jail term for possessing fake currency

Dhubri, Feb 2: A Bangladeshi national was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 10,000 by a Dhubri court on Thursday for possessing Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) worth Rs 1 lakh.

The convict, Umar Farique, a 26-year-old resident of Kurigram district in Bangladesh, was arrested by Assam Police at Bhetabazar area in Dhubri in 2021, along with two other Indian nationals, Shahalam Sheikh and Amir Ali, who were later acquitted by the court.

The case was registered at Dhubri police station under Section 489(C) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with the possession of forged or counterfeit currency notes or bank notes. The investigation officer, Inspector Jayanta Kumar Das, submitted the charge sheet against the three accused before the court.

The District and Sessions Judge, Shri Paban Chandra Kalita, in his judgement dated February 1, 2024, observed that the prosecution had proved the guilt of Umar Farique beyond reasonable doubt and that he deserved to be punished with rigorous imprisonment and a fine to meet the ends of justice.

The court also directed that in cases of default in payment of a fine, the convict will have to undergo simple imprisonment for six months each under Section 14(A) of the Foreigners Act and Section 489(C) of the IPC.