Ludhiana: A local
court has sentenced a drug peddler to 10 years of
rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the convict. In case of default in fine payment, he will undergo another year of rigorous imprisonment.
The police, on December 24, 2014, had booked
Naresh Kumar Timmu of
Daba Colony under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act after 300g of a habit-forming drug was found in his possession.
The prosecution said a police party was conducting checks at Daba chowk in Shimlapuri. On seeing the police, Timmu tried to escape but was soon chased. During frisking, a polybag containing 300 grams of diphenoxylate hydrochloride powder was found on his person. He had no licence or permit to carry it.
During the trial, Timmu claimed that he was picked up from his house three days before the registration of the case and had been implicated.
The additional public prosecutor for the state sought punishment on the basis of prosecution evidence and chemical examination report of the recovered consignment.
The defence counsel said no independent witness joined the investigation despite availability, rendering the prosecution version doubtful. There was delay in sending the sample for chemical examination, the defence counsel added.
The court observed that mere not joining of independent witness does not render the entire prosecution version unbelievable, especially when no enmity or ill-will on the part of the police officials has been proved on record to implicate the accused.
