India, Feb. 9 -- A couple of years ago, Juleka Shaikh and Bilkis Akthar risked everything to cross the border, only to end up living in the shadows in Mumbai. With little hope of earning a livelihood in Jessore, Bangladesh, the two women found work as domestic help in the city - while constantly dodging the law - until their luck ran out in January. They are currently in the Byculla jail, awaiting trial.

Incredibly, it was their second such stint in Mumbai, a city that has always rewarded the tenacious and offered refuge to those fighting to survive. But Juleka and Bilkis, whose shared circumstances forged their friendship, are on the wrong side of the border - and the law.

They are among hundreds of undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants ...