Malaysia's High Court on Friday sentenced an Indian man to death by hanging for trafficking in 25 kilogrammes of the drug ketamine, despite his assertions that he was unaware of the presence of the drugs, an official news report said. Athisheshan Singaram, 48, was caught with the drugs in his hand luggage at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in July 2008.

During his trial, Singaram had claimed he did not know the contents of the bag he was carrying. However, the high court judge dismissed the claims as mere "denial," the Bernama news agency said. The report did not state when the sentence will be carried out. Malaysia's tough drug laws prescribe the mandatory death sentence by hanging for those found guilty of smuggling in most types of drugs.

Copyright Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 2010