Nepali citizen sentenced to 12 years for opium smuggling in Bahraich

A court in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced a 31-year-old Nepali national, Sunita Pun, to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of 1 lakh rupees for opium smuggling. The verdict follows a 2017 case involving the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

On May 3, 2017, the NCB Lucknow team, assisted by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), intercepted the woman at the Rupediha SSB check post. During the search, authorities recovered 2.502 kilograms of opium, which the suspect had concealed in her thigh. The narcotics were transported from Banke, Nepal, to Bahraich, India.

The court ruled that the seized amount fell under the commercial category and was held with the intent to sell. The sentencing aligns with the NCB’s stated zero-tolerance policy toward drug trafficking.