Court sentences drug peddler to 12 years imprisonment in Ludhiana
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Ludhiana: A local court has sentenced Bobby, a 57-year-old man from this city's Old Quarter near the civil hospital, to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs 1 lakh after police seized 3,000 intoxicant tablets from him.
If the fine is not paid, he will face an additional year of imprisonment, the special court judge Harvinder Singh ruled.
On May 28, 2020, Division Number Two police booked Bobby under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act following a police operation at Old Jail Road near the civil hospital. Assistant sub-inspector Sukhwinder Singh and other officers spotted Bobby returning on foot from Brown Road carrying a white plastic bag on his right shoulder.
When he noticed the police, Bobby attempted to discard the bag, which was later found damaged, revealing red pills and blue capsules inside.
Police apprehended Bobby on the spot and seized 3,000 capsules along with an additional 1,760 capsules, later. Despite attempts, no independent witnesses were available to be included in the police party at the time of recovery. Bobby was arrested and charged formally after police filed a chargesheet.
During the trial, Bobby claimed he was implicated falsely and rejected all allegations of possession. However, the court found no evidence to support his defense. The judge noted that Bobby had neither claimed any enmity with the cops nor reported any false implication to higher authorities or provide the court with any private witnesses to prove his innocence.
"Had the accused been innocent, he would have raised hue and cry against his false implication to the higher police officer," the court said. The evidence and testimonies confirmed Bobby's guilt, leading to his conviction and sentencing under applicable sections of the NDPS Act.
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