District Additional Sessions Judge RK Sahoo on Friday convicted six Bangladeshi nationals in a seven-year-old robbery case and awarded them 14 years of RI besides imposing Rs 2,000 penalty on each of them. In default of paying the fine, they will have to undergo six more months jail.
The accused have been identified as Arif Khan (26), Paus Khan (25), Md Abul Basar Mulla (31), Md Asadul Mulla (25) and Sk Zahir (24) and Babu Khan (28). They were held guilty on charges of dacoity and violation of Foreign National Act. On the night of May 28, 2007, the accused had looted the passengers of cash and valuables worth of several lakhs of rupees and had assaulted them after stopping a Baripada-bound bus from Bhubaneswar near Santra Chhka.
A case had been registered at Khantapara police station following the compliant lodged by the bus passengers. Although the court has pronounced two different quantum of punishments for the two charges, the accused would run the incarceration concurrently. In 2007, the accused gang had wrecked havoc in the district by committing a series of robberies at different places.