Bhadrak: This district is fast turning into a safe haven for the liquor and drug smugglers, thanks to the unholy nexus between these smugglers and some police officials.
On a daily basis more than 10, 000 liters of country liquor enters this district through roads from neighbouring Keonjhar and Balasore districts. Similarly, an active racket has been using trains to smuggle out brown sugar from old Balasore.
Locals alleged that the police’ raids are only fronts to make people believe that they are discharging their duties. But the fact is that the smugglers make their illegal business flourish acting hand in glove with some cops, they alleged.
“The police and the excise department do conduct raids. But they are orchestrated in such a way that the big culprits have ample time to get away while the petty peddlers are being arrested,” they added.
When someone is arrested under NDPS Act and if charge sheet is not deposited in time, it becomes easier for them to get bail. Such cases are legion and in last three months, equal number of such cases has taken place.
In the first case, a team of Cuttack central excise department seized 13 gram of brown sugar from Banaja Sarangi of Bidang area and subsequently arrested her. After registering a case (SPL no-136/18), the department court forwarded her. Surprisingly enough, the investigating officer who had led the team did not deposit the charge sheet by December 4, facilitating the arrestee to get an easy bail. December 5, the district judge court granted her bail.
Ganja smuggler Sk Zabir and brown sugar peddler Kamini Ghadei are two such fortunate offender who have recently been granted bail for charge sheet having not been filed in time.
For dereliction of duty, provision has been there to punish the responsible officials, and for that matter the officers who fail to deposit charge sheet in time are to be punished,” observed advocate Dibyasingh Nayak.
Sharing his version, advocate Gadadhar Bal said, “If an investigating officer fails to file charge sheet against an arrestee in time, section 167 (2) of code of criminal procedure act empowers a court to grant bail to him/her. And there is direction that the state police can intiate action against those officers who fail to file charge sheet in time.
But such acts and rules are only confined to the files; cashing in on which the drug and liquor smugglers are flourishing their illegal business across the width and breadth of the district.
Ganja smuggler Sk Zabir and brown sugar peddler Kamini Ghadei are the two such fortunate offender who have recently been granted bail for charge sheet having not been filed in time.
PNN