British duo sentenced to 6 months for illegal entry into India from Nepal

BAHRAICH: A court in Uttar Pradesh has sentenced two British nationals to six months’ imprisonment for illegally entering India from Nepal, officials said on Tuesday. Chief Judicial Magistrate Pratibha Chowdhry on Monday also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on each of the convicts. In case of default, they will have to undergo an additional three months’ imprisonment. The court, however, granted them bail after pronouncement of the sentence on the condition that they will not leave the country during the appeal period. According to prosecution officer Nirmal Yadav, the two — Hassan Amman Saleem (35) and Sumitra Shakeel Olivia (61) — were arrested in November last year from the Indo-Nepal border at Rupaideha for entering India without valid documents. Saleem, originally from Gujranwala in Pakistan, is a resident of Manchester, UK, and works as a lecturer in audiology at De Montfort University. Olivia, originally from Udupi in Karnataka, later acquired British citizenship and resides in Gloucester, UK. She holds a British passport as well as an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. Yadav said the two had travelled from the UK to Nepal in November 2025 to participate in a charity programme for hearing-impaired children at a medical college in Nepalgunj. They were holding valid Nepal visas. On November 15, 2025, personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal and the Uttar Pradesh Police intercepted them during a joint checking drive at the international border as they attempted to enter India. They were found without valid documents for entry into India and were arrested under relevant provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act. After spending some time in jail, the duo was granted bail by the court on the condition that they would not leave the country. Since then, they had been attending court hearings regularly and staying mostly in hotels in Bahraich during the trial. Based on the evidence and circumstances, the court found both accused guilty and awarded the sentence, observing that punishment in cases of illegal entry is necessary to ensure compliance with the law, Yadav said.