Palash and Shukla Adhikari, a Burdwan couple, have been granted bail after serving 301 days in jail on suspicion of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
The couple had migrated to Bengaluru with their two-year child to work as labourers, reported Times of India (TOI). They were arrested in July 2022 and booked under the Foreigners Act.
Despite the couple’s claims that they were from Jhaugram's Telepukur under Jamalpur police station in East Burdwan, they were taken into custody by the police in Bengaluru.
The Bengaluru police team did check on Adhikari’s home in East Burdwan after filing a charge sheet against the couple, TOI reported. The team met with the local Block Development Office (BDO) to check the documents.
Adhikari’s relatives arrived in Bengaluru after the arrest and hired lawyers for their bail hearing.
According to the report, despite being granted bail on April 28, the couple was not released until May 24 as they could not comply with the bail bonds immediately. Their bail bonds required a local guarantor to submit their land deeds.
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Upon release, the couple boarded a train to return home to Burdwan after the bail hearing on Thursday.
A Bangladeshi media report, TBS, added that Palash Adhikari’s sister had spent her earnings fighting the case. Sathi Adhikary, who works at a beauty parlour, expressed the relief the family felt upon the couple’s release.
