Two drug peddlers jailed in Manipur

IMPHAL: Two drug peddlers, who were caught with heroin from the premises of a private school 18 years ago, have been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment.

A Manipur fast-track court sentenced the drug peddlers, Baiklian Paite and Lainpu Simte, to 16 and 11 years of rigorous imprisonment respectively. The court also slapped fines of Rs 1,60,000 on Baiklian and Rs 1,10,000 on Lainpu.

The fines have to be paid by a period of one year, failing which Baiklian's jail term will be extended by two more years and Lainpu's term by 13 more months. On September 8, 2001, police had held the duo after they were found to be loitering in a suspicious manner near the gate of private school at the Thangmeiband area of Imphal West. Upon searching them, police seized 500 grams of heroin from the duo.

On August 28, a fasttrack court had convicted the duo under Sections 21 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (ND&PS) Act,1985.