The former Zonal Director and Superintendent of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) were sentenced for five years’ imprisonment in a corruption case, by the additional and sessions judge Nazar Singh on Friday. The two were held guilty for embezzling Rs13.81 lakh from the NCB headquarters in Chandigarh.

Saji Mohan, former IPS officer and Zonal Director, was held guilty under Section 120B of IPC and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, while Balwinder Kumar, Superintendent of NCB, was convicted under section 409, Criminal breach of trust by public servant, and 120B, Criminal conspiracy, of IPC, by the court.

Besides the five years' prison for Saji Mohan and Balwinder Kumar, the court also imposed a fine of Rs18,000 to Saji and Rs15,000 to Kumar. Mohan and Balwinder were found accused of embezzlement of Government property of Rs13.81 lakh. Saji had misappropriated the funds during his posting in Chandigarh as a zonal director of the NCB.

The chargesheet claimed that Saji had taken the amount of Rs13.81 lakh from the seizure room In-charge to deposit it to the State Bank of India, which was never deposited in the bank.

However Saji earlier claimed that being an IPS officer, depositing money in the bank was not his responsibility but police had recovered a receipt of money receiving, with the signatures of Saji Mohan on it.

Earlier to this, they were also convicted in a case of siphoning drugs additional district and Sessions Judge Shalini Singh Nagpal on March 2013. In the drug siphoning case, court had pronounced 13 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) and Rs3 lakh penalty for both the accused.

The NCB on March 2009 registered a case of meddling with heroin, ceased by

NCB in more than 13 different raids. Saji Mohan and four

others were arrested in August 2009 connected to the case. The accused were booked under the charges of stealing heroin from unclaimed seizures from the storeroom of the NCB headquarters. The investigation later revealed that an amount of Rs13.8 lakh was also missing from a property case. Mohan allegedly siphoned and manipulated the contraband seized from various places in Punjab and Jammu. Slaked lime was added to the contraband to manage the amount with the seized amount.