PANJIM: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has received a setback as the Special Court in Margao has acquitted two persons, charged with possessing commercial quantity of drugs, giving them the benefit of doubt. The Court pulled up the investigation agency for failing to conduct the probe in a fair and proper manner.
In its charge sheet, the NCB had stated that their team conducted a raid after its Intelligence Officer Bhanu Pratap received specific and reliable information on January 11, 2017 that two persons – Dima Ram and Manoj Kumar were in possession of charas. The Himachal Pradesh natives were employed in the State’s coastal belt .
The officer said he then conducted a search of their hotel room and found a cloth bag containing five packets. On being checked through the drug detection kit, it was found to be charas weighing around 5.200 kg and the accused were arrested.
Defence counsel Galileo Teles’ said the officer had not obtained any search warrant from the competent authority to raid the premises. Teles alleged violation of the rights of the two persons during the raid and pointed out to how the team did not comply with the guidelines in the NDPS Act during the raid and recovery.
Special Judge B P Deshpande acquitted Ram and Kumar.
