Bangladeshi National Receives Three-Year Sentence for Possession of Fake Indian Currency in Assam

A Dhubri court sentenced Umar Farique, a 26-year-old Bangladeshi national from Kurigram district, to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 for possessing Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) worth Rs 1 lakh. Arrested in 2021 at Bhetabazar area in Dhubri by Assam Police along with two Indian nationals, Shahalam Sheikh and Amir Ali, who were later acquitted, Farique was charged under Section 489(C) of the Indian Penal Code. The court, in its judgment on February 1, 2024, affirmed Farique’s guilt, stating that the punishment served the interests of justice. Defaulting on the fine would lead to six months of simple imprisonment under the Foreigners Act and IPC Section 489(C).