GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has recently directed the Assam Director General of Police (DGP) to probe into the whereabouts of 1,995 grams of heroin recovered during a major drug bust in Karbi Anglong in May 2022. It later transpired that the IO was not aware of where the seized drugs were.
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The case dates back to May 8, 2022, when law enforcement officers in Karbi Anglong intercepted a vehicle and confiscated 152 boxes of suspected heroin. Two people were arrested and convicted in July 2023, each receiving ten years' imprisonment.
However, after hearing the arguments of both parties, procedural lapses cropped up, namely that of failure to account for the seized contraband. Justice Arun Dev Choudhury, presiding over the case, said that the court was not provided with or account for the drugs, violating fundamental provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. It consequently quashed the conviction, raising very valid questions about the investigation.
These outstanding drugs and others have set the DGP on a more searching investigation of the entire case, revealing some glaring loopholes and again putting a dark cloud over Assam's handling of drug-related crimes.
