Centre initiates exercise of forfeiting assets of drug smugglers

TARN TARAN The department of revenue, central government, has initiated the process of forfeiting assets of those convicted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The department swung into action after Tarn Taran police had forwarded 33 cases of “big drug smugglers” whose assets worth ₹37 crore have been freezed by the police.

TARN TARAN The department of revenue, central government, has initiated the process of forfeiting assets of those convicted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The department swung into action after Tarn Taran police had forwarded 33 cases of “big drug smugglers” whose assets worth ₹37 crore have been freezed by the police.

PK Prusty, the competent authority for Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (SAFEM) Act and NDPS Act, has issued an order to forfeit assets worth ₹70 lakh of Angrej Singh alias Gopi, convicted under sections 21/61 of the NDPS Act, of Sara-E-Amanat Khan village in Tarn Taran.

Angrej Singh was held with the recovery of 1.5 kg heroin in 2010 by Jalandhar police. He was arrested once again in 2014 with 71gm heroin by Tarn Taran police. His case to forfeit the property was prepared by Tarn Taran police in November.

Angrej was asked by the competent authority to reveal the proof of his assets, including his 8 kanal land and a residential house, but he failed to submit the required documents.

“Under the circumstances, the said property is hereby forfeited to the central government, free from all encumbrances in terms of provisions of section 68-I (1) & (3) of the NDPS Act, 1985,” the order reads.

It also says Angrej claimed that he makes an income of ₹50,000 per month by organising kabaddi and selling milk, but again no documentary evidence was furnished by him.

Tarn Taran is the first district of Punjab that has initiated the task of forfeiting the assets of habitual drug smugglers. Tarn Taran is worst-hit district of Punjab and it has already declared 66 of the total 547 villages of the district as ‘much-afflicted’ from drugs.

Tarn Taran senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dhruv Dahiya said, “We have forwarded 33 cases of drug smugglers to the central government after seizing their assets worth over ₹37 crore. More such actions are being planned and no one involved in drug peddling will be spared.”

He said most of the accused whose cases were sent to the Centre are residents of the villages close to India-Pakistan border.

He said, “This is the first case in Punjab in which the property of a drug smuggler has been forfeited. We are perusing other cases earnestly and hope the assets of all the accused will be transferred to the Centre soon.”

Tarn Taran police had initiated the process of freezing the assets of drug peddlers in November. Most of the drug peddlers whose assets were seized belong to Naushehra Dhala and Havelian—notorious for drug smuggling.

Recently on January 28, the police had sent four cases of those who had allegedly accumulated properties worth cores of rupees from drugs business. These included one Jagdev Singh of Sheron village in Tarn Taran. Jagdev’s case was sent after his property, including 95 kanal land, 2 palatial houses, 1 marriage palace and a Toyota Fortuner SUV, all worth ₹10.58 crore, was freezed.