In what is one of the biggest illegal recruitment cases in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 23 Indians are among 94 foreign workers who have been convicted along with their employer in Dubai.
The Dubai Immigration Court found a Dubai-based electro-mechanical company guilty of employing the illegal workers and slapped a fine of 6.4 million dirhams ($1.7 million), while the manager was given a two-month jail term.
Apart from the Indians, there were 70 Pakistanis and a Sri Lankan.
Of the 94, the police said 65 were infiltrators, 20 absconding workers and nine were overstaying after entering the country on visit visas.
The workers have been given various jail terms ranging from three to six months and fined 3,000 dirhams ($815.50) to 4,000 dirhams ($1,089).
Dubai's immigration authorities are on an intense drive against illegal foreign residents in the country.