NCB Indore: Ujjain man gets 10-year jail for 490 gm heroin seizure
Synopsis
Five years after a 490-gram heroin bust in Ujjain, NCB Indore has secured a 10-year rigorous imprisonment verdict — a reminder that India's NDPS courts are still delivering finality on landmark 2019 seizures. A parallel Punjab cocaine conviction on the same day signals coordinated prosecutorial momentum across the NCB's zonal units.
Key Takeaways
A Special NDPS Court in Ujjain sentenced Premchand Lodha to 10 years Rigorous Imprisonment and a ₹1 lakh fine.
The conviction relates to the seizure of 490 grams of heroin near Nanakheda Bus Stand, Ujjain on 6 September 2019 .
Non-payment of the fine attracts an additional one year of imprisonment.
In a separate Punjab case, Akshinder Singh Sodhi and Amandeep Kumar were each sentenced to 10 years RI and fined ₹1 lakh for trafficking 115 g cocaine , 13 g ephedrine , and 80 g hashish oil .
The NCB MANAS Helpline (toll-free: 1933 ) is available for citizens to report narcotics-related activity.
A Special NDPS Court in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, has sentenced Premchand Lodha to 10 years of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) and a fine of ₹1 lakh for possession of 490 grams of heroin, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Indore confirmed on Thursday, 13 August. The conviction stems from a 2019 drug seizure and marks a significant enforcement outcome for the NCB's Indore unit.
The Seizure and Conviction
The case dates to 6 September 2019, when NCB Indore officers intercepted Premchand Lodha near Riddhi Siddhi Hotel, Nanakheda Bus Stand, Ujjain, and recovered 490 grams of heroin from his possession. The Special Court convicted Lodha under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, imposing 10 years of Rigorous Imprisonment alongside the monetary penalty. The court further ruled that failure to pay the fine would attract an additional one year of imprisonment.
NCB's Broader Enforcement Push
The Ujjain verdict is not an isolated outcome. In a separate case, the Special Court, Jalandhar, Punjab, sentenced two individuals — Akshinder Singh Sodhi and Amandeep Kumar — to 10 years of Rigorous Imprisonment each, along with a fine of ₹1 lakh each, in connection with an international drug trafficking case that surfaced in 2019. That case involved the recovery of 115 grams of cocaine, 13 grams of ephedrine, 80 grams of hashish oil, and intoxicant capsules, seized by the NCB Chandigarh Zonal Unit.
Why These Verdicts Matter
Both convictions follow multi-year investigations and underscore the NCB's stated commitment to sustained prosecution rather than arrest-only enforcement. Notably, the cases involve distinct drug categories — heroin in Madhya Pradesh and cocaine in Punjab — reflecting the geographic spread and variety of narcotics trafficking routes that Indian enforcement agencies are actively targeting. The near-simultaneous announcement of both verdicts appears to be a deliberate signal of institutional momentum.
How to Report Drug Activity
The NCB has urged citizens to report narcotics-related information through the MANAS Helpline at toll-free number 1933. The bureau has assured that informers' identities will be kept strictly confidential.
With both verdicts now on record, the NCB's prosecution record in legacy 2019 cases will likely face scrutiny as a benchmark for how swiftly India's NDPS courts can deliver finality in drug trafficking matters.
Point of View
Meaning the justice cycle ran over five years — a timeline that is routine in Indian NDPS courts but rarely examined critically. The NCB's public messaging emphasises conviction rates, yet the lag between arrest and sentencing is itself a deterrence gap: traffickers operating today face a justice horizon well into the 2030s. The simultaneous announcement of two unrelated verdicts from different states also reads as institutional image management rather than coincidence. The harder question — whether sentencing in NDPS cases is actually suppressing supply or merely removing individual links in resilient trafficking chains — remains unanswered in official statements.
NationPress
13 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Premchand Lodha and what was he convicted for?
Premchand Lodha is the individual convicted by the Special NDPS Court in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, for possession of 490 grams of heroin. He was sentenced to 10 years of Rigorous Imprisonment and fined ₹1 lakh under the NDPS Act, in connection with a seizure made by NCB Indore on 6 September 2019.
What was seized in the Ujjain heroin case?
NCB Indore officers seized 490 grams of heroin from Premchand Lodha near Riddhi Siddhi Hotel, Nanakheda Bus Stand, Ujjain, on 6 September 2019. The quantity placed the case in the 'commercial quantity' category under the NDPS Act, attracting stringent sentencing provisions.
What was the Punjab drug trafficking case that also resulted in a 10-year sentence?
The Punjab case involved the seizure of 115 grams of cocaine, 13 grams of ephedrine, 80 grams of hashish oil, and intoxicant capsules by the NCB Chandigarh Zonal Unit in September 2019. The Special Court in Jalandhar sentenced Akshinder Singh Sodhi and Amandeep Kumar to 10 years Rigorous Imprisonment each, with a fine of ₹1 lakh each.
How can citizens report drug-related activity to the NCB?
The NCB operates the MANAS Helpline at toll-free number 1933 for citizens to report narcotics-related information. The bureau guarantees that informers' identities will be kept strictly confidential.
Why did the NCB Ujjain case take over five years to reach a verdict?
The case was registered following the September 2019 seizure and involved investigation, charge-sheeting, and trial proceedings before the Special NDPS Court in Ujjain, with the verdict delivered in August 2025. Multi-year timelines are common in Indian NDPS cases due to the volume of forensic evidence, witness examination, and court scheduling involved.
