From distant shores to Indian jails

Coming a close second are foreigners booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Over the years,the police have booked one Kenyan and nine Nigerians under this Act. Last week,the police arrested three Nigerians,including a woman,for the crime.

Rate of conviction
Of the 30 cases registered against foreigners in five years,seven cases have seen convictions,one acquittal while rest are pending in court or are being investigated.

Problems begin
Language proves to be the biggest hurdle if a foreigner found on the other side of the law as quite often he is unable to interpret or understand the rules and regulations meant for them in India. Communication problem between and offender and the police also proves to be a stumbling block. Foreign criminals also get stuck in deportation camps as sometimes their families do not respond. The accused are also forced to leave their belongings behind ¿ which at times means leaving behind important certificates — as they are in custody. “The Nigerian convicted this year had to wait for many months at the deportation camp in Amritsar before the he went back. All his belongings were left here. He went on a ticket provided by a friend,” said Harish Bhardawaj,advocate to the accused.

Proclaimed Offenders
Seven of the 37 foreigners arrested have been declared proclaimed offenders in the past five years. Two foreigners arrested in 2004 — Kavito Andrew Paul and Matavo Jean Joseph (from Uganda) — have been declared proclaimed offenders as they failed to attend court. The two were booked in a case of theft in 2004. A Nigerian Peter Ehiare booked under NDPS Act,James Chukwuma,another Nigerian arrested with drugs,Pilnova Olga of Uzbekistan booked for Immoral Trafficking have also been declared proclaimed offenders.

Cops speak
“The UT police boast a very high conviction rate of foreigners and we have always been conducting regular checks and keeping a record of their number. If found engaged in illegal activities,we have always been stringent in our action,” Director General of Police S K Jain said.

Foreigners as victims
Crimes against foreigners have always made headlines. A German was raped by five men last year and all five were sentenced to life following a speedy trial. A former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) official Suresh Kumar Sharma in Chandigarh was also convicted for molesting a German tourist last year,a decade after the crime.

Crimes by foreigners on rise
* A Nigerian was convicted last year for his involvement in an online lottery scam. Cyber crime police arrested the Nigerian last year for sending a fraudulent email to one Balbir Singh,informing that Singh had won one million pounds. Singh was asked to deposit Rs 1,81,000 in a bank account to claim the prize. Singh,however,later realised he had been cheated.
* Pakistani spy Abid Mehmud,arrested in 2003,was convicted this year under the Official Secret Act. He was accused of possessing sensitive information pertaining to military deployment and battle formations in the country. The police said Mehmood was in possession of Orders of Battle of the Western Command,Northern Command,Southern Command and Eastern Command. He was also sentenced to two years in the Burail jailbreak case as he assisted Beant Singh assassins in escaping from Burail Jail in 2004 while he was lodged there.
* An Israeli,Lior,arrested by the Narcotics Bureau in 2005 with 155 kg charas is still awaiting verdict. With the case pending,he has been in the Burail Jail for four years now. In another case related to escape from NCB custody,however,Lior was convicted last year.