SUKKUR: The Model Criminal Trial Court of Jacobabad on Friday sentenced a drug peddler to life imprisonment and imposed on him a fine of Rs500,000 after finding him guilty.

The First Additional District and Sessions Judge, Zulifqar Ali Sheikh, passed the order after hearing the prosecution and defence in the case against Abbas Ali Jatt. The accused was found guilty of transporting 50kg hashish by a car. He was arrested on July 14 last year by officials of the Saddar police station of Jacobabad. The convict would have to undergo an additional two-year imprisonment if he failed to pay the fine amount, the order said.

Nearly half tonne hashish seized

Officials of the same police station on Thursday intercepted an oil tanker on a tip-off and during a search of the vehicle, they found a big quantity of hashish concealed in its secret pockets.

Saddar SHO said the oil tanker coming from Balochistan was intercepted at Mumal railway crossing. The seized hashish weighed 460kg, he added.

The police booked and arrested the tanker driver, Ghulam Rasool Jalbani, and impounded the vehicle.

Police ‘kidnap’ shopkeeper

A man along with his children appeared before media personnel in Jacobabad Press Club after travelling from Thull town to narrate his ordeal saying that police had taken away his son about a week ago but not disclosing his whereabouts.

Ghulam Nabi Sarki stated that officials of the A-Section police took away his son, Mohammad Ismail, from his shop in Thull on Sunday. They also took away around Rs150,000 from the shop and also his motorcycle parked outside, said Mr Sarki. “Since then I have been frequenting the police station to know about his whereabouts but they are not telling me where have they kept my son and why,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2022