Guwahati, July 31: A Nigerian drug peddler, who was arrested by customs officials on charges of heroin trafficking, had “cooked up” a story of torture in the court to escape punishment.
However, the court presumed that the accused had conjured up the story out of fear of being convicted.
Orji Ramsey William, 32, who was sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment yesterday, had apparently woven a story of torture by customs sleuths who, he also alleged, had forcibly obtained his signatures on blank papers, as a last attempt to escape punishment.
William, who claimed to be a footballer, was arrested by customs officers from the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here on September 12, 2009 moments before he was to board a Kingfisher Airlines flight to Delhi.
The accused was arrested for allegedly booking a parcel containing 609.400 gm heroin to Atlanta in the US through a private courier company here. He was booked under Section 21 (C) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
William was arrested from the airport after the heroin, worth more than Rs 60 lakh, concealed in buttons of ladies garments, was seized from the office of Speed Express (courier service) on G.S. Road in the Ulubari area of the city.
During checking, the consignment note, which was issued to William by of Speed Express against the booking, was also recovered from his possession.
While booking the parcel, William had submitted a photocopy of the passport issued by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the name of Dike Kenneth Chibuike, claiming it was his. The accused had booked his air ticket from Guwahati to Delhi in the name of Dike Kenneth Chibuike.
During trial, when evidences went against him, William told the court that he did not know anything about the narcotic drug. He claimed that the customs officials had beaten him and taken his signature on blank papers and compelled him to write statements dictated by them.
However, the court observed that the defence lawyer had failed to establish his claim by cross-examining prosecution witnesses or by adducing defence evidence.
“On perusal of the record, it appears that the accused did not say anything as regard torture and beating and obtaining signature forcibly on blank paper, while he was produced before the court,” additional district and sessions judge Md I. Hussain said in the order, that was passed yesterday and the certified copy of which was made available today.
“The order, dated September 14, 2009, goes to show that nothing has been recorded as regard torture of the accused. Not informing the court about torture and obtaining signature forcibly by the accused at the time of his production give rise to the presumption that it is a cooked up story of after thought which cannot give benefit to the accused,” the court observed.
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