HYDERABAD: While the State government and police department are fighting hard to curb the ganja menace in Telangana, a youngster who was arrested by Rachakonda police at Neredmet, for possession of ganja and trying to sell the same, was acquitted of all charges. The court, while delivering the verdict recently, pointed to several contradictions in the statements and the investigation.
“The investigation officer (IO) has not conducted a proper investigation in this case. In view of the lapses and lacuna, the prosecution has utterly failed to prove the guilt of the accused,” the court said.
In 2019, the police arrested a person and seized 75 grams of ganja from him. Another person was shown as the main accused in the case. However, till the completion of the trial, his name was not known and he remained absconding.
The court noted that the complaint, lodged by a police constable, and his statement under Section 161 CrPC, said that the accused fled from the scene. However, oral evidence totally contradicted the complaint, saying that the police found the accused under suspicious circumstances holding a bag. When they searched him, ganja was found on his person.
Further, police showed that the accused fled from the spot and was arrested the next day. They seized his mobile phone, which has nothing to do with the case. “The contradiction has created a reasonable doubt,” observed the court.
The court also observed that the prosecution or police did not explain the purpose of seizing the mobile phone and there are no allegations that the accused used it to trade in ganja or contact any supplier or purchaser. The entire investigation as well as oral evidence is confusing or contradictory. The IO has not explained the role of the absconding accused and specific allegations against both the accused, the court noted.
PD Act imposed on 3 drug peddlers
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad police imposed the Preventive Detention Act against three drug dealers on Wednesday to further limit their activities in its commissionerate limits. The three accused are Mohammed Feroz, Mohammed Azher and Shaik Ashraf Pasha who were arrested by Chandrayangutta police in September. To curb their activities, PD Act was imposed against the trio on Wednesday and they have been lodged in Central Prison, Chanchalguda