KARACHI, March 24: A drug court acquitted on Saturday two accused in a case pertaining to defying drug laws and ordered a departmental action against the investigating officer (IO) of the case for carrying out a defective investigation.

The drug inspector, Khursheed Shaikh, raided a medical store in Mowach Goth in October 2008, and allegedly found its owners, Madan Kumar and Dilip Kumar violating drug rules and booked them under the Drugs Act, 1976.

After recording evidence of witnesses and final arguments from both sides, the three-member drug court headed by Sathi Ishaq acquitted the accused for want of evidence.

The court in its judgment observed that the IO (drug inspector) had lost some key documentary evidence and also conducted a flawed investigation as the licence of the medical store in question had the address of Naval Colony while the IO claimed that he had raided the chemist shop in Mowach Goth.

The court further stated that it appointed a commissioner to ascertain the place of the offence, but the IO did not extend cooperation.

The court directed the provincial health secretary to take departmental action against the investigating officer and submit a compliance report.

The prosecution said that the licence was not displayed at a proper place open to the public; authorised persons were not present at the store while sale of drugs was being supervised by unauthorised persons; refrigeration facilities were not available and the accused could not produce the record of sale and purchase of drugs.