Man sentenced to 7 years RI in ganja case

Mangaluru: The principal district and sessions judge Basavaraj on Saturday sentenced a man to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in a case related to the transportation and sale of ganja. The convict, TP Farooq, 50, a resident of Bunder, Mangaluru, was also fined Rs 50,000. The court further ordered the confiscation of the car used in the crime. Public prosecutor Judith OM Crasta represented the state. The case dates back to Nov 10, 2020. Acting on credible information, the then Bantwal town police inspector Cheluvaraju B conducted a raid, during which Farooq and another accused, Sagar Singh, were taken into custody along with the vehicle. Police found close to 1.4 kg ganja in the boot of the car. Additionally, 15 grams of ganja packed in four plastic packets were recovered from Farooq's trouser pocket, while 45 grams were seized from Sagar Singh. Mobile phones and cash were also seized. A case was registered under sections 8(c) and 20(b)(ii)(b) of the NDPS Act, and the seized drugs were sent to forensic science laboratory for analysis. The investigation was completed by the then circle inspector TD Nagaraj, who filed the chargesheet. During the trial, the court examined 10 witnesses and 29 documents were marked before convicting Farooq on March 9. Meanwhile, co-accused Sagar Singh, who secured bail, is currently absconding.