Mangaluru: The principal district and sessions court has found a 56-year-old man guilty in a case related to the transport and intended sale of ganja. The court has fixed March 16 to hear arguments on the quantum of punishment.
Conviction under NDPS Act
The accused, identified as T P Farooq, a resident of Bunder, was convicted under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act after the prosecution established the charges during trial proceedings.
The judgment was delivered by principal district and sessions judge Basavaraj on March 9. Following the verdict, Farooq, who had earlier been out on bail, was taken into judicial custody.
According to the prosecution, the offence falls under Sections 8(c) and 20(b)(2)(b) of the NDPS Act, which deal with the possession, transport and sale of narcotic substances.
Police raid led to arrest
The case dates back to November 10, 2020, when Bantwal Town police carried out a raid based on credible information regarding the illegal transportation of ganja.
Police had received information that Farooq and another individual were travelling by car to sell the narcotic substance. Acting on the tip-off, officers conducted a raid at around 6.20 pm and intercepted the vehicle.
At the time of the raid, Farooq was travelling along with Sagar Singh, a 28-year-old resident of Rajpur VDC in Dang Zone of Nepal. Both were taken into custody during the operation.
Ganja seized during search
During the inquiry and subsequent search of the vehicle, police recovered 1.375 kg of ganja from the boot of the car belonging to Farooq.
A body search of the accused also led to the recovery of additional quantities of the narcotic substance.
Police found 60 grams of ganja in the pocket of Farooq’s pants. The contraband was packed in four plastic packets of 15 grams each.
Similarly, officers recovered 45 grams of ganja from the pocket of Sagar Singh’s pants. The seized substance was packed in three packets of 15 grams each.
Apart from the narcotic substance, police also seized the car used for transportation, mobile phones and cash suspected to be connected with the illegal activity.
Following the seizure, a case was registered at Bantwal Town police station under the NDPS Act.
Investigation and court proceedings
The investigation in the case was carried out by the then Bantwal circle police inspector T D Nagaraj, who later filed the charge sheet before the court.
During the trial, government prosecutor Judith Olga Margaret Crasta presented the case for the prosecution. A total of 10 witnesses were examined before the court to establish the charges.
In addition, 29 documents were produced and marked as evidence during the trial.
After examining the testimonies of witnesses and analysing the documentary evidence placed before the court, the judge concluded that the charges against Farooq had been proven.
Co-accused absconding
The second accused in the case, Sagar Singh, was granted bail earlier during the proceedings. However, he later failed to appear before the court and subsequently absconded.
Due to his absence, the court ordered that the case against him be separated and treated as a split-up case. Legal proceedings against him will continue separately once he is traced and produced before the court.
Sentencing hearing on March 16
Following the conviction, the court has scheduled March 16 to hear arguments from both the prosecution and the defence regarding the quantum of punishment.
According to the government prosecutor, the offence may attract a maximum punishment of up to 10 years of imprisonment along with a fine, depending on the court’s final decision.
Another case under trial
Authorities have also confirmed that another ganja-related case has been registered against Farooq. That case was registered on February 5, 2023, at the Mangaluru South police station.
The case is currently under trial in court.
The final sentence in the present case will be determined after the court hears arguments from both sides during the upcoming hearing.