Agartala: Dec 20. After five long years of trial, the North Tripura District and Sessions Court on Saturday delivered a significant verdict in a heroin trafficking case, sentencing the accused to five years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹20,000. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional six months of imprisonment.
The judgment was pronounced by Special Judge Mridul Chakraborty of the North Tripura District and Sessions Court. The court found Safar Ali alias Saraf guilty in connection with the seizure of heroin.
According to police sources, in March 2020, Dharmanagar Police, acting on a secret tip-off, detained Safar Ali from the Kabeshwar Bhairab Thali area under Dharmanagar police station. During the search, police seized 69.13 grams of heroin from his possession. A case was subsequently registered against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Following the investigation, police submitted a chargesheet before the court. During the trial, statements of 15 witnesses were recorded. Based on the witness testimonies and available evidence, the court convicted the accused and awarded the sentence.
The case was successfully argued on behalf of the prosecution by government lawyer Dhruva Goswami.
Legal circles and a section of the public assumed that such a strict verdict in a drug-related case sends a strong message to drug traffickers and may act as a deterrent in the future. They opined that the firm stand taken by the judiciary would play an important role in creating a drug-free society.
