The Paro District Court has acquitted the foreign woman who was charged for illegally boarding the Drukair flight bound for Bangkok in January this year in Paro. The judgment was passed on Monday. She will now be deported to the neighbouring town of Jaigoan where she first entered the country from.
On 29th January, the woman entered the country through Jaigaon without registering at the Immigration Office in Phuentsholing.
Then throughout her journey from Phuentshogling to Paro and until the airport, she travelled in taxis. She stayed at a hotel nearby the airport without clearing her meal and lodging bills.
The next day, she attempted to board the flight to Bangkok using an old passport belonging to a Bhutanese woman.
Subsequently, police charged the 37-year-old woman with illegal entry, deceptive practice, theft of service, and larceny.
According to the judgment, after reviewing the evidence and considering the law, the court found the defendant not guilty of all the charges. The Summary of Judgment given by the Supreme Court to BBS does not state why the woman was not found guilty.
Meanwhile, the court has ordered her to be deported to her place of origin in accordance with Section 108 of the Immigration Act of the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Although the prosecution was unable to prove in a court of law that the defendant is a citizen of India, she will still be deported to Jaigaon as it was her first point of entry.
Kinzang Lhadon
Edited by Kipchu