Congress leader held guilty of drug smuggling

FARIDKOT: The court of district and sessions judge Faridkot on Thursday held a vice-president of Punjab Congress Committee guilty of opium smuggling along with four other accused.A senior Congress leader, Veena Sharma, was arrested by Faridkot Police on October 16, 2007, along with her son and husband. The court will announce the quantum of sentence on Friday.During a raid on her house, on October 16, 2007,police had recovered 2-kg opium, smuggled from Uttar Pradesh. Police alsorecovered a cash of Rs 45,000, which the Congress leader was to pay to threesmugglers from UP after taking the opium delivery.During raid at theCongress leader's residence in Faridkot, police also nabbed three members of asmuggler's gang belonging to Bareilly district in UP. It was alleged that thesegang members along with a woman, had brought the consignment of two-kg opium forVeena Sharma. During investigations, police found that for hassle-freetransportation of opium from UP to Punjab, the smuggler's gang had engagedBasanti, a woman of Dhakora village. During every delivery of opium to Punjab,this woman was handed over the drug consignment to hide in her undergarments andfor this job she was paid Rs 1,200 per trip. On Thursday, while announcing itsverdict in the case, the court held Veena Sharma, her husband Suba Ram, sonSimarjit Sharma and two UP smugglers, Narayan Dass and Raj Pal, guilty.Meanwhile, the sixth accused, Basanti Devi, is absconding.