Ludhiana: 3 poppy husk smugglers get 10-year jail

The Court of Additional Sessions Judge Harvinder Singh has convicted Major Singh, a resident of Boothgarh village, Sanjeev Kumar of Ropar and Ravi Kumar, a resident of Balachaur, for smuggling a large quantity of poppy husk, sentencing each of them to 10 years’ in prison along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh.

As per the prosecution, the case was registered at the Meharban police station on February 14, 2020, based on a complaint lodged by SI Harjit Singh.

The complainant stated that he had received a tip-off regarding poppy husk smuggling. The police set up a checkpoint near Mangli Tanda village. A car approaching from the village side was signalled to stop but the driver attempted to flee.

On suspicion, the police surrounded the vehicle. The driver identified himself as Ravi Kumar and the other person as Sanjeev Kumar. The police seized two plastic bags filled with poppy husk from the rear seat and boot of the car. Both men were taken into custody. During interrogation, they revealed the name of Major Singh as another associate. The police arrested him and seized poppy husk from his house as well.

During the trial, all three accused pleaded innocence but after hearing arguments from both sides and examining the evidence, the court found them guilty and pronounced the sentence.