Hyderabad: In the first conviction of a Rohingya in the state, a city court has awarded two years in prison to a Myanmar ‘national’ (Rohingya) for obtaining an Aadhaar card fraudulently.
Another person who helped him obtain the Aadhaar card was sentenced to one year of imprisonment.
According to Balapur police, the Rohingya, identified as Mohammed Taher, alias, Abu Taher, a native of Rangoon in Myanmar, had entered India in 2015. He came to Kukatpally after staying for a certain period of time in Kolkata. He had been working as a labourer at a Lodha building in Kukatpally.
“During his stay in Kukatpally, with the help of, B. Hemanth Kumar, a native of Kukatpally, Taher managed to obtain an Aadhaar card and a driver’s license.
Later, he shifted to Shaheennagar on the outskirts of the city and got married. Upon receiving information about the fraud, the police caught him in May 2016,” said Balapur police sub-inspector, M. Sudhakar.
The duo had submitted false identity proofs, including a driver’s license and managed to obtain the Aadhaar card in order to benefit from government schemes that only apply to Indian citizens, the police said.
The police had registered a case under various sections of the Foreigners Act against Taher and Hemanth and arrested them on May 5, 2016. On Tuesday, the court convicted them after a trial that lasted almost two years.
Apart from the sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs. 10,600 on Taher, while Hemanth wasasked to pay a fine of Rs. 600.
Commissioner of Rachakonda, Mahesh M., warned illegal immigrants not to indulge in any anti-social activities. In Rachakonda, there is presently In 19 criminal cases registered againstRohingyas under cheating, impersonation, human trafficking, attempt to murder etc.
The commissionerate has so far arrested 31 accused. He said that a total of 3,626 Rohingyas arepresently living in the Rachakonda limits.
