Police get tough with 22 notorious drug peddlers

PK Jaiswar
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, August 22

The Amritsar rural police have identified 22 notorious drug-peddlers whose property details will be sent to the Competent Authority & Administrator, SAFEM (FOP) Act, and NDPS Act, New Delhi, for freezing. Investigation revealed that the drug-peddlers had acquired the properties by illegal trade of drug trafficking.

Talking to The Tribune, SSP, Amritsar Rural, Vikram Jeet Duggal, said during the ongoing drive against rampant drug abuse in the state, they had asked the SHOs of every police station to identify the properties of notorious drug-peddlers so that they could be freezed to break their back.

“We have got at least two cases from each police station in the rural district and are currently in the process of verifying their legal aspects. The cases would soon be forwarded to the competent authority for freezing,” the SSP said. As per the investigation, these smugglers had acquired properties, lands, vehicles and tractors in the name of their family members, relative and friends. Some of them even procured lands in the name of their servants, he said.

A couple of days ago, the police got freezed over 7 acres of land belonging to infamous drug-peddler Manjinder Singh. The agricultural land located at Bagge Kalan village was valued at Rs 57 lakh as per the government rate while its commercial value is pegged at over Rs 1.5 crore.

Manjinder, a resident of Tole Nangal village, has around 11 cases of drug peddling, Arms Act and vehicle lifting registered against him at different police stations. As per investigation, he had acquired the property at Bagge Kalan village through the money earned from drug peddling.

His case was sent to the competent authority and after the completion of a trial it was proved illegal and unaccounted property. The authorities sent the order for freezing the property on July 15 and now after completing all other facilities, the police had frozen the property and now no one could purchase, transfer or sell the land without the permission of the competent authority.

The SSP appealed to the people for sharing information regarding illegal properties belonging to drug smugglers in their areas so that these could be seized.

Won’t be able to transfer or sell land

Once the police freeze the ‘illegally acquired’ properties, the owners won’t be able to  transfer or sell the land without the permission of the competent authority and no one could purchase that property

In one such case, Manjinder, a resident of Tole Nangal village, has around 11 cases of drug peddling, Arms Act and vehicle lifting registered against him at different police stations. He had acquired the property at Bagge Kalan village through the money earned from drug peddling.

His case was sent to the competent authority and after the completion of a trial it was proved illegal and unaccounted property. The authorities sent the order for freezing the property on July 15 and now after completing all other facilities, the police had frozen his property.