Chinese Woman Posing as Buddhist Monk gets 8-year Jail Term for Illegal Entry

A Chinese woman who was detained two years ago on suspicion of entering India illegally while posing as a Buddhist monk was sentenced to eight years in prison and a fine of Rs 50,000 by a municipal court on Monday.

The prosecution claims that on December 2, 2023, the woman was apprehended at the Rupaideha border station near the India-Nepal border by members of the 42nd Battalion of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). They said that she was stopped for verification while trying to enter Nepal while dressed as a Buddhist monk.

Identified as Li Xinmei, alias Li Shin Mei, the 45-year-old held a passport of the Republic of China listing her residence as Shandong province. Her passport carried a Nepal visa valid from November 19, 2023, to February 16, 2024. Officials said she had entered India without valid documents. The woman, who allegedly did not understand Hindi or English, was questioned with the help of an interpreter. 

Security officers found several foreign documents, a passport, a Chinese citizenship card, ATM cards, a cell phone, earbuds, a massager, a memory book, and Chinese religious literature in her hands. After that, she was arrested at the Rupaideha police station under Section 14A of the Foreigners Act. In December 2023, the case's chargesheet was filed.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Kavita Nigam sentenced Li to eight years of hard labour and a fine after finding her guilty of illegal infiltration into India without a valid visa. The court decided that she would serve an extra six months in jail if she failed to pay the fine.