KARACHI: A sessions court has sentenced a woman to 10-year rigorous imprisonment for trafficking one kilograms of crystal meth from Turbat to Karachi.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (West) Aurangzeb Shah found Rukhsana Majid guilty of the crime after examining the evidence and hearing arguments from both sides.

“The prosecution has succeeded in establishing the charge against the accused,” the court ruled.

The judge imposed a fine of Rs200,000 on the convict and in case of default she would have to suffer additional six-month imprisonment.

“Upon a thorough examination of the case as a whole, with particular emphasis on the astute trafficking of the crystal by the female accused, it becomes unmistakably clear that the matter under scrutiny has been decisively proven against her,” the judge ruled in the verdict.

According to state prosecutor Muhammad Arif Sitai, acting on a tip-off, the police apprehended Rukhsana at Yousuf Goth near Saeedabad and recovered the drug weighing 1,010 grams wrapped in a yellow plastic shopper, concealed in her clothes. The police also found a mobile phone, cash and one bus ticket from Turbat to Karachi.

During the trial, the accused refused to testify on oath or produce any witness to support her version. She denied having the alleged drug in her possession and being present at the said location, claiming that the police had falsely implicated her in the case.

However, the court found the defence plea weak and unconvincing, adding that there was no substantial evidence to support the claim that the accused was falsely implicated in this case.

Addressing the minor discrepancies on the prosecution side, the judge remarked: “When dealing with narcotics cases, courts are expected to take a proactive approach rather than acquitting the accused on technicalities. It is a well-established principle that minor discrepancies may arise in any case as no testimony can be as precise as a photograph.”

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2024