Sunday, August 21 2005 14:24 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Dubai: Two Indians have been sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 5.93 lakh each by a Dubai court after being charged with importing a psychotropic drug without taking permission from authorities here and selling the medicine despite the expiry of its validity.

Oralat Faso Divan and Polia Mafojal Padmana were arrested in March 2003 on the charges of importing 280 capsules of a psychotropic drug containing dangerous Dextromoramide, without taking permission of the Government here, the Saudi Arabia-based 'Khaleej Times' daily reported today (August 21, 2005).

The duo was also accused of selling the drug despite the expiry of its validity by changing labels, it said, claiming they had confessed to distributing the medicine to private clinics.

The life sentence to them was handed down by the Dubai Court of Cassation, which also imposed a fine of Rs 5.93 lakh each.

Earlier, the two were given the same sentence by the Dubai Court of First Instance in January but Divan filed an appeal, which was rejected.

He had pleaded that the imported medicine was herbal and he did not know that it contained any narcotic substance.

He also denied that they changed the expired label on medicines.

However, Forensic Laboratory and the Drug Control Department at the Ministry of Health here proved the medicines include drugs and the accused imported them without getting permission, thus violating the pharmaceutical law, the report said.