Poonch, Oct 7 (JKNS): A court in Poonch has sentenced three drug traffickers to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹1.50 lakh each in a case involving the recovery of around four kilograms of heroin from the Balakote sector.
The Court of the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Poonch, presided over by Sh. Susheel Singh, convicted the accused under Section 8/21(c) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in connection with FIR No. 56/2022 registered at Police Station Mendhar.
The convicts have been identified as Sherbaz Ahmed, resident of Gulathi, Manjakote, Rajouri; Anzar Ahmed, resident of Dharati, Mendhar, Poonch; and Rafiq Azam, resident of Kalar Mohra, Mendhar, Poonch.
According to case details, the accused were arrested from the Balakote sector during police action, following which approximately four kilograms of heroin, classified as commercial quantity under the NDPS Act, was recovered.
The case was investigated under the supervision of the then SSP Poonch, Rohit Bastotra, while the investigation was conducted by the then SDPO Mendhar, DySP Sheezan Bhat.
The investigation focused on establishing the involvement of the accused and collecting evidence for their prosecution before the court.
The court convicted all three accused on October 6, 2026, for offences punishable under Section 8/21(c) of the NDPS Act.
During the hearing on the quantum of sentence on October 7, 2026, Public Prosecutor Pankaj Sethi, appearing for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, sought stringent punishment, stressing the seriousness of the offence and the recovery of commercial quantity of heroin.
After hearing the prosecution and considering the facts and circumstances of the case, the court sentenced all three convicts to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹1.50 lakh on each.
The conviction marks a significant outcome in the case and underscores the role of sustained investigation and effective prosecution in bringing narcotics offenders to justice. (JKNS)