House owners liable to be punish under NDPS, warns Claudia

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 24, 2019

SHILLONG: The state police have decided to take action against house owners and hotel owners who are allowing their premises to be used for illegal drug trade, as per the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. 

This came after over 500 gram of heroin was seized by the Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) of East Khasi Hills District, from a rented house and the arrest of a Manipuri woman in Madanrting area on Tuesday. 

Terming the seizure as one of the biggest, district police chief Claudia A Lyngwa said the accused person identified as Kim Neikhol Khongsai (49) was arrested after 529 grams of heroin (from 39 soap cases) worth over Rs 1 crore was seized from her rented house yesterday. 

Khongsai was booked under 21 (C) of the NDPS Act and has been forwarded to the Court. 

Stating police are going all out to nab hardcore suppliers in a bid to cut down the drug supply chain, Lyngwa however said from now onwards, action will also be taken against house owners and hotel owners whose premises were used for sale of drugs. 

“As per the NDPS Act, if you (house owners) are allowing their premises for the sale of drugs, you are liable for punishment. Therefore, we are going to hit the house owners as well,” she said. 

Section 25 of the NDPS Act states: “Punishment for allowing premises, etc., to be used for commission of an offence. Whoever, being the owner or occupier or having the control or use of any house, room, enclosure, space, place, animal or conveyance, knowingly permits it to be used for the commission by any other person of an offence punishable under any provision of this Act, shall be punishable with the punishment provided for that offence.” 

The SP also expressed concern over the difficulty faced by the law enforcers in getting eye witnesses for seizing the drugs as some of village headmen and people are not willing to extend their support to the police. 

She informed that yesterday’s incident took police up to three hours to get somebody to be a witness while seizing the drugs. 

“Society has to be a little bit responsible by cooperating with the police. We will be requesting the headmen and the village defense party (VDP) to also assist us as witnesses since the NDPS Act does not allow seizures to be only done by the police,” Lyngwa said. 

She also appealed to people to come forward and extend their full support to the police in eradicating this problem of drug menace which is increasing at an alarming rate and directly affecting the heart of the society in the state. 

“If society supports us, we will ensure big suppliers go away for a very long time,” the SP added. 

Asked, Lyngwa said police are also using narcotic dogs to detect drugs besides intensifying checking of vehicles entering the city. “We are hitting the supply scene by targeting big time drug suppliers,” she said.