2 get 10 yrs jail for possessing over 14 kg of heroin

Two men have been sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by a Delhi court for possessing over 14 kg banned narcotic drug heroin.
Special NDPS Judge Manoj Kumar Nagpal awarded the jail term to Bachitter Singh and Niyamat Masih, residents of Punjab, and also imposed a fine of Rs two lakh and Rs one lakh on Singh and Masih respectively.
The court considered the family background and other circumstances of the convicts while awarding them the minimum jail term of 10 years prescribed for their offence under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
"As per the evidence brought during the trial, both the convicts were acting as carriers of narcotic drugs only for some petty monetary considerations and they themselves are not alleged to be running any drug racket on their own.

"They are also from very poor financial backgrounds as convict Bachitter Singh was a driver by profession and convict Niyamat Masih was working as a labourer on a 'bhattha' (brick kiln) and as per their statements on record they had adopted the above illegal profession out of compulsions of their poverty only," the judge said.
According to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the officials received an information that two persons would be carrying some narcotic drugs and would enter Delhi through Singhu Border on January 20, 2010.

A team of officials of DRI reached near Singhu Border and noticed a Tata Sumo entering Delhi and when they tried to stop the vehicle, Singh, who was driving the car, tried to flee. They were chased and caught by the team.

At the time of the search, 14 packets of heroin were found concealed in the door panels of the vehicle and the two men were arrested. The total weight of the packets was 14.23 kg.
During interrogation, Masih told the officials that the packets were given to him by one person in Punjab and he had been assured a payment of Rs 20,000 if he delivered them in Delhi.
The man in Punjab had also asked him to arrange a vehicle, to which Masih had agreed due to poverty, he had claimed.
Masih had taken Singh's vehicle for this purpose and Singh too had agreed to accompany him to Delhi. They had promised a payment of Rs 10,000 each.

During the trial, Singh and Masih claimed that no packets of heroin were recovered from their possession or from the car owned by Singh and the entire case and story of the prosecution were false.