German team meets national lodged in Gorakhpur jail for drug smuggling

GORAKHPUR : A delegation of officials from German embassy met German prisoner ManFriend Barrand, who is behind bars in Gorakhpur jail for smuggling drug, on Wednesday. The German national was caught by the border security guards from Indo-Nepal border at Sonauli border on October 31, 2014 with four kg opium that he had brought from the neigbouring country for Rs 1.20 lakhs and was taking to Goa.

Resident of Sachsen in Germany, Barrand was lodged in Maharajganj jail for about a year and then shifted to Gorakhpur jail in 2015. The court granted him bail on May 31, 2017. However, Barrand could not find anybody who would deposit ₹10 lakh as bail bond for his release.

The German delegation accompanied by legal advisor Yamini Mahajan visited the jail after Barrand’s wife, who has been staying here at Gorakhpur at a rented house to fight his case, sought the embassy’s help. The delegation member left without speaking mediapersons waiting outside jail.

“The counsellor from Germany met him today. They left after holding a detailed discussion with him,” said jail superintendent Dr Ramdhani Muni. Elaborating further, Muni said on Barrand’s wife’s appeal, the court had directed the applicant to get two people who can secure his release by submitting bail bonds of ₹5 lakhs each. Barrand’s wife then managed to get two bailers for the purpose of which one was an imposter following which she contacted the embassy for help.

THE COURT GRANTED BAIL TO BARRAND ON MAY 31, 2017 BUT HE COULD NOT FIND TWO PEOPLE TO BAIL HIM OUT