Chennai: The special court for cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) has sentenced five persons, including two women, to undergo 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for smuggling six kg of heroin in 2012. The court has also imposed on them a total fine Rs 12 lakh.
According to N.P. Kumar, special public prosecutor, the intelligence officer of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) received information on May 10, 2012, about smuggling of heroin by a group in an express train.
The personnel reached the Central Railway station on May 11, 2012. They identified Rameshwar (59), Badreelal (50), Munnibai (48) and Rekha (20) as those indulged in trafficking in narcotic drug.
The gang, which came from Madhya Pradesh in an express train, planned to deliver huge quantity of heroin to M. Manivannan (46) of Chennai at Walltax road near Central railway station on the same day.
DRI officials seized 6.630 kg of heroin from them. They also seized currency notes, mobile phone, passport, electronic compact scale and other items from Manivannan’s house. They arrested Rameshwar, Badreelal, Munnibai, Rekha and Manivannan.
Kumar said the accused admitted their guilt. The DRI sleuths registered case against them under various sections of NDPS Act and remanded them to judicial custody.
The counsel for the accused submitted that the prosecution failed to comply with the mandatory provisions of NDPS Act and confessional statements recorded was not voluntary. The prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt and hence they ought to be acquitted.
Special judge K. Ayyappan said the prosecution proved the case beyond doubt. The court convicted all the five and sentenced them to undergo RI for ten years. The court also slapped them with a fine of Rs 12 lakh.
