Mohali: Truck driver, helper get 10-year RI in drugs case

The convicts, Pawan Kumar and Mushtaq Mohammad, were nabbed with 58 kg poppy husk in 2018 and admitted to smuggling it from Rajasthan

A truck driver and his helper, who were caught with 58 kg poppy husk in July 2018, were sentenced to 10-year rigorous imprisonment by a local court on Monday.

The Mohali court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh each on the convicts. (Getty Images/Vetta)

The court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh each on the convicts Pawan Kumar and Mushtaq Mohammad.

According to the case record, Lalru police had recovered the poppy husk from Pawan’s truck during checking. On being interrogated, Pawan and his helper had confessed that they had been smuggling poppy husk into Punjab from Rajasthan and selling it to customers.

Both were booked under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) at the Lalru police station. During the case proceedings, eight witnesses gave their statements and the accused also confessed in court.