30 March 2010
Surat, India
Seven years ago, the police had seized two cars from Saroli area in Surat and recovered 27 bags of brown sugar worth Rs 24 crore in the international market. Convicts get 20 years RI and penalty of Rs 2 lakh
Seven years after the police seized two cars from Saroli area in Surat and recovered 27 bags of brown sugar worth Rs 24 crore in the international market, a court has convicted seven persons in the case and acquitted six others.
Pronouncing its verdict on Tuesday, the NDPS court of V K Shah convicted all seven arrested with the narcotics and sentenced them to 20 years of rigorous imprisonand fined them Rs 2 lakh each. If the convicts fail to pay the penalty, they will have to undergo rigorous imprisonment for another year.
Those arrested in the case were identified as Mohammed Sharif, Alam Hussain Shaikh, Mohammed Shehzada, Riyazuddin Shaikh, Mohammed Raees Pathan, Shahbuddin Chisty, Mohammed Faruk Siddik all residents of Ajmer in Rajasthan.
During the course of investigation, eight others were also arrested. They were identified as Babar Saiyed, Ishrar Sindhi, Brijesh Singh, Nafis Saiyed and Salim Shaikh all residents of Rajasthan; Mohammed Nizamuddin, a resident of Coimbatore; Mohammed Nasir Kunj; and Kamaluddin Muslim. Except Salim and Kamaluddin, the rest were acquitted.
Sources said the narcotics consignment was loaded in Rajasthan and was likely to be delivered to Mumbai in two cars. Special cavities had been made in the car for storing the brown sugar.
The police had identified Nafis Chisty as the kingpin and he was arrested from Delhi. Three more persons involved in the case, Ayub Kesar Alam, Mohyuddin and Naseem, are still absconding.
A sex scandal case, registered against Nafis Chisty and Faruk Chisty with the Ajmer police, is still under trial.
Defence lawyer Farid Mastan said, “We have filed an application in the court against the investigating team comprising of Police Commissioner V K Gupta, Inspector J K Jhala, Sub–Inspector Ajay Gakhar and ACP Rao for manipulating the case.”
He added: “The brown Sugar was seized from the National Highway near Kim in Surat rural. They arrested all the seven travelling in the car and brought them to a safer place and later showed the place of arrest as Saroli in Surat city.”
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