PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has upheld the conviction of Micah Gumbi of Aurangabad, who had initially posed as a Nigerian national named Elijah Malcolm Onyango to evade detection.
Gumbi was found guilty by the Special Court, South Goa, Margao, for trafficking cocaine and possessing MDMA and LSD, and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for up to ten years with fines under the NDPS Act, 1985.
The case dates back to December 30, 2017, when Canacona police, acting on specific intelligence, intercepted a man at Palolem beach suspected of delivering narcotics. The person, initially identified as Elijah Malcolm Onyango, was found carrying LSD, cocaine, and Ecstasy tablets. The probe later revealed his true identity as Micah Gumbi.
During the trial, Gumbi claimed the case was fabricated and denied possession of drugs, even as the charge was framed against him, to which he pleaded not guilty. The public prosecutor, on the other hand, submitted that the accused was found in possession of a commercial quantity, and the trial court has rightly convicted him. “It is a false case, and no drug or contraband was found with him,” his counsel argued. The High Court observed that the appellant/accused neither examined himself nor called any witnesses in defence.
In its judgment, the Bench of Shreeram Shirsat confirmed the lower court’s findings, stating the appeal was “liable to be dismissed” and upheld the sentences imposed.
