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Drug peddler sentenced to 10-year RI in Darbhanga
The judgment was pronounced by Santosh Kumar Pandey, district and first additional sessions judge-cum-special judge (NDPS), in NDPS case no. 12/22. After completing the trial, the court found Jhunnu Mandal, a resident of Shivajinagar under Darbhanga Town police station limits, guilty under Section 21(b) of the NDPS Act.
A local court in Darbhanga on Tuesday sentenced a drug peddler to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The judgment was pronounced by Santosh Kumar Pandey, district and first additional sessions judge-cum-special judge (NDPS), in NDPS case no. 12/22. After completing the trial, the court found Jhunnu Mandal, a resident of Shivajinagar under Darbhanga Town police station limits, guilty under Section 21(b) of the NDPS Act.
Special Public Prosecutor Chamaklal Pandit said the court also imposed a fine of ₹50,000. In case of default, the convict will serve an additional three months in prison.
According to the prosecution, Mandal was arrested with 19 bottles of codeine syrup and 720 intoxicant tablets, following which a case was registered under Town PS case no. 169/22. The conviction came after the court examined the evidence and witnesses presented during the trial.
Block supply officer arrested for bribery in Samastipur
In a separate case, the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB) on Tuesday arrested Rajesh Kumar Bhagat, block supply officer (BSO) of Vidyapatinagar and Ujiarpur blocks in Samastipur district, for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹10,000, officials said.
The operation, led by deputy superintendent of police Akhilesh Kumar, was carried out under Case No. 23-26. Bhagat was apprehended at his rented accommodation near Kali Chowk in Dalsinghsarai.
The case arose from a complaint filed by Ram Ekbal Singh, a PDS dealer from Maniarpur panchayat under Ghataho police station, alleging that Bhagat demanded a bribe of ₹31,000 to increase foodgrain allocation under the public distribution system (PDS).
Following verification on February 23, the vigilance team laid a trap. People familiar with the matter said the bribe was to be paid in instalments. After Singh handed over ₹10,000 in chemically treated notes on Tuesday, Bhagat was caught red-handed. An FIR has been registered, and further investigation is underway.
