Ranchi: Brown sugar traders are experts in every trick. They also know the intricacies of avoiding the law. Due to this, many times they are caught and soon get released from jail. Once again they get involved in evil deeds. Their boss or white-collar leader has control till the top. Whenever a peddler is caught, Jharkhand Police instead of calling him a buyer, calls him a consumer (customer) in the case diary. Also, the amount of brown sugar recovered appears less. Due to this, no special case is made out and he is released from jail within a few months.
Drug ring masters use minor boys in this business. Within a few days of being caught, they escape from the police, taking advantage of being minors. In order to make such boys join the gang, the children of schools and educational institutions are made intoxicated and included in the gang. Brown sugar traders are active in many police station areas of the capital.
Also Read: Familyism dominates the politics of Jharkhand too
In the capital, brown sugar business is flourishing in Chadri, Peace Road, Gadha Toli, Gaus Nagar, Thadpakhana, Azad Basti, Islam Nagar behind Government Polytechnic, near Karbala Chowk. Many youth of Lower Bazaar police station area have lost their lives due to addiction of brown sugar. Whereas a young man has become a criminal and even committed murder. At present he is in jail.
After coming out of jail, he got back into business:
On May 15, 2023, Asmina alias Asmin Parveen, a couple doing brown sugar business, and her husband Ayyaz Qureshi alias Bablu Qayamat were arrested by the police from Uni Heights Complex, located near Garha Toli on Hazaribagh Road. Husband and wife, residents of Palamu, used to do drug business by taking a rented house on the seventh floor. The operator of the same apartment, Ejaz Qureshi, and members of the women’s committee had caught him.
After being caught, the husband absconded, while Aasmeen was caught with brown sugar kept in a matchbox. Later the police also caught her husband and sent both of them to jail. After being in jail for a few days, both of them were released and are again selling brown sugar secretly in Lower Bazaar police station area.
What is the provision of punishment:
For businessmen caught with brown sugar, there is a provision of minimum 10 and maximum 20 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 2 lakh. In this regard, advocate Sudhir Srivastava said that there is a provision for different punishment for the customer, peddler and dealer. In this case, the provision of different punishment has been prescribed under Section 20, 20(A), 20(B), 20(C) of the NDPS Act.
In Section 20, one year and ten thousand fine, in 20(A) one year and ten thousand fine, in 20(B) one to 10 years imprisonment and one lakh fine and in 20(C) 10 years to 20 years. There is a provision for punishment up to Rs 2 lakh and fine up to Rs 2 lakh. The role of police is also important in this. If a person arrested with brown sugar is declared a customer, he gets bail quickly. No one wants to be a witness in this.
Even if he becomes a witness, he turns hostile in the court, due to which the peddler or businessman gets bail quickly. The police also plays with the quantity recovered. By showing the quantity of five to ten packets of brown sugar, they are declared as customers in front of the court, due to which the court is not strict on them. If a brown sugar trader imports or exports unlicensed, he faces maximum punishment.
Case Study-One
Was a good tailor, now in jail
A cheerful family living in Lower Bazar police station area got ruined due to the influence of brown sugar. A promising tailor of this area became friends with drug addicts who consumed brown sugar. Gradually he also got addicted to brown sugar. To get rid of his addiction, his family kept him admitted in CIP for five years. Even after this he did not improve. The family members got her married. But due to being drunk, he used to beat his wife and children. Because of this his wife also left him. One day, while drunk, he knocked down a five-year-old child of the locality and killed him. He is still in jail in this case.
Case Study- Two
Support of two sons taken away from father
Two youths living in Gadha Toli of Lower Bazaar police station area lost their lives due to addiction to brown sugar. According to his father, first the 24-year-old elder son got addicted to drugs. Then, seeing his elder brother taking drugs, the 14 year old younger brother also started taking drugs. Being poor, he could not get his sons treated. Within a span of one year, both the sons of that poor father died. That person used to run his household by working as a labourer. He hoped that both the sons would become capable and improve the financial condition of the house. But addiction ruined his family.