NCB wins 10-year jail for three charas smugglers in Ahmedabad NDPS court
Synopsis
Three Ahmedabad men caught with 9.330 kg of charas on a bus from Rajasthan in 2021 have been sentenced to 10 years of Rigorous Imprisonment each by a Special NDPS Court in Mehsana — a conviction the NCB says sends an unequivocal message that interstate drug trafficking will not be tolerated.
Key Takeaways
A Special NDPS Court, Mehsana , convicted three Ahmedabad men on 30 April 2025 for interstate charas smuggling.
All three — Shahidbhai Ibrahimbhai Maniyar , Rafik Dilawar Chauhan , and Maniyar Saiyedhussain Hasamiya — received 10 years of Rigorous Imprisonment each.
Fines of ₹1.50 lakh were imposed on Maniyar and Chauhan; Hasamiya was fined ₹1 lakh .
9.330 kg of charas was seized from the accused on 25 September 2021 near Fatehpura Circle, Mehsana Bypass .
The accused were intercepted while travelling from Ajmer, Rajasthan in a passenger bus.
NCB filed the complaint before the court on 17 March 2022 ; trial concluded nearly three and a half years after arrest.
A Special NDPS Court in Mehsana, Gujarat, on Thursday, 30 April 2025, convicted three men involved in the interstate smuggling of charas and sentenced each to 10 years of Rigorous Imprisonment, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said. The court also imposed fines ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹1.50 lakh on the convicts, marking a significant enforcement win for the NCB's Ahmedabad Zonal Unit.
Who Was Convicted
The Special NDPS Court found three Ahmedabad residents guilty under multiple provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The convicts are Shahidbhai Ibrahimbhai Maniyar and Rafik Dilawar Chauhan, both residents of Gomtipur, Ahmedabad, and Maniyar Saiyedhussain Hasamiya, a resident of Vatva, Ahmedabad.
Maniyar and Chauhan were each fined ₹1.50 lakh, while Hasamiya was fined ₹1 lakh, according to the NCB statement. All three were convicted under Sections 8(c), 20(b)(ii)(c), 27A, 29, 31, and 35 of the NDPS Act.
How the Accused Were Caught
Acting on specific intelligence, NCB Ahmedabad Zonal Unit officers intercepted the three accused on 25 September 2021 near Fatehpura Circle, Mehsana Bypass, Mehsana, as they were travelling from Ajmer, Rajasthan aboard a passenger bus. A search of the suspects led to the seizure of 9.330 kg of charas from their conscious and exclusive possession, the NCB said. All three were formally arrested the same day.
Prosecution Timeline
Following the completion of investigation, the NCB filed a complaint before the Special NDPS Court, Mehsana, on 17 March 2022. The case proceeded to trial, culminating in Thursday's conviction — nearly three and a half years after the original arrest. The relatively swift conclusion of proceedings reflects the NCB's stated focus on diligent prosecution in NDPS matters.
NCB's Message on Drug Trafficking
The NCB said the conviction
Point of View
But the real story is the timeline: three and a half years from arrest to sentencing is considered relatively swift under India's overburdened NDPS court system, which often stretches into a decade. The 9.330 kg seizure, while significant, falls in the commercial quantity range that typically draws mandatory minimums — meaning the court had limited discretion. What the NCB's statement does not address is the supply chain: the Ajmer-Ahmedabad corridor has appeared repeatedly in charas trafficking cases, suggesting a structural route that individual convictions alone may not disrupt.
NationPress
16 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What sentence did the Ahmedabad charas smugglers receive?
All three convicts — Shahidbhai Ibrahimbhai Maniyar, Rafik Dilawar Chauhan, and Maniyar Saiyedhussain Hasamiya — were sentenced to 10 years of Rigorous Imprisonment each by the Special NDPS Court, Mehsana, on 30 April 2025. Fines of ₹1.50 lakh were imposed on Maniyar and Chauhan, while Hasamiya was fined ₹1 lakh.
How much charas was seized in this case?
NCB officers seized 9.330 kg of charas from the three accused on 25 September 2021, near Fatehpura Circle on the Mehsana Bypass. The contraband was found in their conscious and exclusive possession when they were intercepted travelling from Ajmer, Rajasthan in a passenger bus.
Under which laws were the convicts charged?
The three accused were charged under Sections 8(c), 20(b)(ii)(c), 27A, 29, 31, and 35 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. These sections cover possession, trafficking, and conspiracy-related offences for commercial quantities of narcotic substances.
When was the NCB complaint filed in this case?
The NCB filed its complaint before the Special NDPS Court, Mehsana, on 17 March 2022, after completing its investigation. The trial concluded with the conviction on 30 April 2025, nearly three and a half years after the initial arrests.
What is the significance of this conviction?
The NCB said the verdict sends an unequivocal message that drug trafficking will not be tolerated. The case also highlights the Ahmedabad-Rajasthan interstate drug route, which NCB's Ahmedabad Zonal Unit has been monitoring through targeted intelligence-based interceptions.
