Bhubaneswar: For the first time in Odisha, three convicts of illegal brown sugar trade have received Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) of 20 years.
According to official reports, the convicts identified as Debasish Behera, Prabir Kumar Singh and SK Kausar Alli, all hailing from Odisha’s Balasore district were convicted by the Hon’ble Court of 2nd Addl. District Judge cum Special Judge in Bhubaneswar.
The court sentenced to undergo Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) for 20 Years and to pay fine of 1 Lakhs. If they fail to pay the fine the RI will expand by one year.
It is worth noting that in 2020, while, the accused persons were transporting contraband brown sugar in a Bolero vehicle after procuring the same from West Bengal side were intercepted near Rasulgarh crossing.
During the search, the cops seized contraband Brown Sugar weighing 4 Kg 458 gram and other incriminating materials.
Following this, during the trial, the prosecution has examined 13 witnesses and exhibited 79 documents. Meanwhile, the seized contraband Brown Sugar has already been destroyed as per order of the Hon’ble Court.
Notably, this is the first case in Odisha where the accused persons were convicted 20 years imprisonment under NDPS Act, 1985.