Ludhiana: A local court has sentenced a 29-year-old woman to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment for possession of 1,350 intoxicant tablets and Rs 65,300 in drug money. Special court judge Harvinder Singh also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the convict, Pooja, with an additional two-year rigorous imprisonment in default of payment.The case dates back to November 4, 2018, when Moti Nagar police booked Pooja, her 23-year-old brother Rajan, and their 60-year-old mother Mahindro—residents of New Harkrishan Colony (Ghora Colony), Transport Nagar—under the NDPS Act following a tip-off that the family operated a drug supply ring from their residence.Acting on the input, a police team led by inspector Amandeep Singh raided the house and found the three family members sitting on a cot with a polythene bag containing 1,350 intoxicant tablets. A subsequent search of the premises led to the seizure of Rs 65,300 in drug money. Police arrested the trio and filed a chargesheet after completing the investigation.During the trial, the accused claimed false implication. Mahindro and Rajan later skipped court proceedings and were declared proclaimed offenders after due legal process.Defense counsel argued for acquittal on grounds that police failed to join independent witnesses despite having ample opportunity. Rejecting the argument, the court held that official police testimonies remained reliable and untainted under strict scrutiny.“Due to non-examination of independent witness, the evidence of official witnesses cannot be distrusted and disbelieved,” the court observed, noting that nothing emerged during the trial to discredit the police witnesses’ testimony.
