Man gets 10-yr RI for possession of intoxicant powder

Ludhiana: A local court has sentenced a drug peddler to 10-year rigorous imprisonment for possession of 500 grams of intoxicant powder. Special court judge Amrinder Pal Singh also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh on the convict. In default of payment of fine, he will have to undergo rigorous imprisonment for two months.
On December 3, 2013, Koom Kalan police booked Duni Chand of Mohali district under the NDPS Act for possession of intoxicant powder. As per the prosecution, police recovered 500 grams of white intoxicant powder from the accused. Later, the chemical examiner report mentioned that it contained Diphenoxylate Hydrochloride salt. During case trial, the accused pleaded false implication. During cross-examination, the investigating officer explained that he tried to join an independent witness in the investigation but no one agreed. “The recovery is not meagre, which can be planted upon the accused. Huge recovery which falls in the category of commercial quantity is effected,” the court maintained, adding that that during arguments, it was revealed that there were other cases pending against the accused under the NDPS Act.
The court held that the prosecution proved it’s case that the accused was found in conscious possession of 500 grams of intoxicant powder. The convict pleaded that he is the first offender and sole breadwinner of his family. He prayed for a lenient view on these grounds. However, the court didn’t find any reason for doing so. tnn