Photo Courtesy: tripuratimes
Agartala: A Tripura court sentenced a 65-year-old Pakistani woman to two years of simple imprisonment on Monday. Louis Nighat Arther Bano, also known as Nigo or Nigat Bano, must also pay a Rs 10,000 fine. Failure to pay triggers an extra month in jail. She will serve this time for illegal entry into India without valid travel documents.
The Sabroom Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate delivered the verdict under Section 21 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act. Case records identify her as a resident of the Sheikhupora district in Pakistan and the wife of Md. Gul Faraj. Some reports cite her home as Lahore. Government Railway Police nabbed the woman at Sabroom Railway Station on October 11, 2025.
She looked suspicious. Officers moved in. During interrogation, Bano provided several false identities before finally admitting her true nationality. Inspector Apu Das filed the chargesheet on January 31, 2026, citing the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Immigration (Passengers) Act, and the Foreigners Act.
Authorities allege a complex escape. Bano previously served time in Nepal for a 2014 drug trafficking conviction involving cocaine seized in Kathmandu. She supposedly broke out of a Kathmandu prison on September 10, 2025, amidst civil unrest. She traveled through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal before reaching Tripura via the Kanchanjunga Express. Police believe she intended to slip across the border into Bangladesh.
The investigation uncovered multiple mobile phone numbers in her possession. The court examined all evidence before issuing the final ruling. Regarding the severity of the case, the prosecution noted, "The judgment underscores the seriousness with which the judiciary views illegal immigration and violations of constitutional provisions."
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