Peddler gets five-yr jail term for possessing heroin

A special court in Dharamsala has sentenced a drug peddler to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him for possession of heroin. Should he fail to pay the fine, he will undergo an additional one year of simple imprisonment.

Special Judge Jaswant Singh awarded the sentence to Sumit Kumar of Darhi village, Dharamsala tehsil, Kangra district.

A case against the accused was registered at Nurpur police station on April 9, 2021, under various sections of the Motor Vehicles Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

As per the case file, during a routine traffic check at the main barrier in Kandwal at around 7:30 pm that day, cops stopped a taxi for inspection. During the inspection, a polythene packet containing 6.17g of heroin (chitta) fell from the vehicle’s dashboard onto the floor.

Sumit Kumar, who was driving the car, failed to produce the vehicle’s documents when questioned by the cops.

After investigation, the police filed a challan in the court.

Based on the evidence and witness testimonies, the court held the accused responsible for keeping the contraband in the car. A total of ten witnesses were examined during the trial, based on which, he was held guilty by the special court.