Nepali woman convicted in 2017 opium smuggling case in UP’s Bahraich
Lucknow: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has secured the conviction of a Nepali woman in connection with a 2017 opium seizure case in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district, officials said on Wednesday.
According to an official statement, the court of the Third Additional District and Sessions Judge of Bahraich on Tuesday sentenced Sunita Pun, 31, a resident of Nepal’s Sarlahi district, to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
The case dates back to May 3, 2017, when a team from the NCB’s Lucknow zonal unit, acting on specific intelligence inputs, mounted surveillance at the SSB check post in Rupaidiha along the Indo-Nepal border in Bahraich. The operation was conducted with the assistance of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
During the border surveillance, the accused, who was crossing into India on foot, was intercepted and searched. Officials recovered 2.502 kg of opium, a quantity classified as commercial under the NDPS Act. The contraband had been ingeniously concealed on her thigh in an attempt to evade detection.
Investigations revealed that the opium had been sourced from Nepal’s Banke district and was being transported to Bahraich for illegal sale and distribution.
During the trial, the prosecution underlined the seriousness of the offence, highlighting the commercial quantity of narcotics seized and the wider social harm caused by drug trafficking.
After examining the evidence and circumstances of the case, the court held that the accused was in conscious possession of the contraband with the intention of selling it and awarded the sentence accordingly.
The conviction, the NCB said, reaffirms its zero-tolerance policy against drug trafficking and its commitment to achieving a drug-free India.
Citizens have been urged to report information related to narcotics smuggling through the MANAS Helpline (1933), with the identity of informers kept strictly confidential.