Liar, liar

Nigerians accused of drug peddling ask for lie-detection test. Narcotics Bureau says no

Liar, liar

Nigerians accused of drug peddling ask for lie-detection test. Narcotics Bureau says no

It is the perennial question of who is telling the truth, the cop or the thief.

But this time, instead of cops requesting for a lie detection test and Narco analysis to prove their point, the alleged thieves are. While a group of Nigerian citizens arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for allegedly possessing 7 kg heroine are crying hoarse to undergo a Narco-Analysis test, the NCB have turned down their request.

Earlier in November, during the hearing of the case, NCB had denied the request of the Nigerians for a narco test. The five accused have been in jail since April.

But the counsel of the accused thrashed the claims of the NCB, alleging the agency has booked innocent people in a false case. "It is completely unheard of where the accused are demanding to get tested and the investigating agency is cooking up reasons to avoid it," said their counsel, Advocate Manish Khanna.

Khanna said the investigating agency is avoiding the test to save its own skin. "The NCB officials are aware these people are innocent. In fact, NCB booked these people only when the real culprits managed to fool it and slipped away during the raid," he said.

NCB also said, "The Narco test is only meant to assist investigating agencies to find out the truth especially in grave offences like terrorism, organised crime, murder, kidnapping etc." Countering the NCB, Khanna said, "But it never crossed the minds of the investigators that drug peddling is a more organised crime and its operators are active world over. We all know drugs are used to finance terror activities. If NCB believes these people are guilty, the Narco test will only help them investigate the case better," said Khanna.

The case so far

Six Nigerians were arrested on April 13 after a raid on their rented house at Tilak Nagar. The raid took place on information received by NCB officials about some foreign nationals staying at a flat at Sant Garh, Tilak Nagar. As they could not be nabbed, the NCB officials started a random check of the neighbourhood and the six were arrested. According to the counsel, their landlady also accompanied the officials during raid.

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