Special Judge Anu Grover Baliga acquitted Joanna Metlon, holding that the parcel from which the narcotic substance is said to have been recovered appears to be tampered with.
Metlon was accused by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of exporting heroin by concealing them in the parcel.
The NCB's case was that in March 2005, it got a tip-off that a parcel was lying in the office of DHL Courier firm with some clothes in it and that there is a possibility that some narcotic substance is concealed in the buttons stitched on the clothes.
An NCB raiding team reached the DHL office and opened the parcel. It was found containing clothes and on opening their buttons, polythene packets with brown substance was recovered. The substance was found to be heroin. All the buttons were opened and a total of 520 grams of heroin was recovered.
The parcel was found to have been received from another courier company. The name of the consignee mentioned on it was Udai Singh, a franchisee of the courier company. Singh in his statement said the parcel was booked by one Reshma and forwarded by him to another courier company.
Reshma was traced at a premises in Tuglakabad. She asserted that she had booked the parcel at the instance of one Mr Prince, a pastor whom she met in a church and that she had no knowledge of the narcotic substance concealed in it.
Reshma's true identity was revealed to be Joana Melton. (More)