Amit Kumar: IT businessman sentenced over $30k worth of drugs found in Miranda home

An IT specialist faced court after police discovered $30K in meth inside the study after a fire erupted. Find out what started the blaze that brought the man undone.

A IT businessman has narrowly avoided being sent to jail after about $30,000 worth of the drug ‘ice’ was found inside his Miranda home.

The stash of drugs was only found after Amit Kumar’s study caught alight when a small wick near his ice pipe ignited in November 2020.

The 37-year-old man fronted Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday to face the real likelihood of being sent to prison but instead he was allowed to remain in the community after police discovered 80 grams of meth when investigating the source of the house fire.

Magistrate Philip Stewart decided to show leniency towards Kumar because he had sought treatment for his drug addiction through rehabilitation programs and had a history of mental health.

“There was a significant volume of drugs …[but] since 2020 there has been no offending,” he said.

“The defendant has taken steps, very much belatedly, towards detox and therefore I am satisfied … it is appropriate for him to serve a sentence in the community subject to an intensive correction order.”

Amit Kumar was found with 80 grams of drugs worth about $30,000 inside his Miranda home following a fire in his study. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

In agreed facts tendered to court, a small fire started in the upstairs study of Kumar’s Lola Place home about 7pm on November 10, 2020.

The heat from the room caused windows to explode and glass was propelled about 15 metres into adjoining residences.

A large explosion alerted neighbours to the fire and Fire and Rescue were called, the documents said.

Neighbours entered the house via the back door to see if anyone was inside where Kumar and his wife were attempting to douse the fire using buckets of water.

Another neighbour used a fire extinguisher in an attempt to put out the flames, but despite all efforts the blaze got more intense and everyone went outside.

Fire crews arrived a short time later and extinguished the blaze, the police facts said.

Kumar sustained burns on his hands and his wife was treated for smoke inhalation. They were taken to Concord and Sutherland hospitals respectively.

Sydney crime scene and fire rescue investigators attended and processed the scene.

They determined the original ignition point was a small wick located near an ice pipe within the room, the documents said.

The wick was believed to have been lit and dropped on the floor somehow. The fire was likely fuelled by a number of other sources in the room.

The documents said police found 80.29 grams of ‘ice’ in four small plastic containers inside a drawer in the study. Police estimated the street value of the drugs was about $30,000.

The next day, Kumar’s wife told officers from the hospital that her husband was in the study when the fire started while she was in her bedroom, however Kumar said he was in the kitchen.

He said the study was used for his home business, Shire Home IT Services, adding he believed the fire started from overloaded powerboards.

It was not until January 18, 2021 that Kumar was arrested at his home and taken to Sutherland Police Station where he was charged with supplying between an indictable to commercial quantity of prohibited drugs.

In court, Kumar’s lawyer noted his client had a drug addiction, depression and anxiety, adding he had recently enrolled in university.

Magistrate Stewart did note there was no evidence of actual sale nor supply of drugs.

He sentenced Kumar to an intensive correction order for 15 months where he must attend rehabilitation programs and abstain from using drugs.