ED attaches Rs 7.90 cr assets in drug cases

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 23

Assets worth Rs 7.90 crore have been attached under the anti-money laundering law in connection with a probe linked to two narcotics trafficking cases of Punjab, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Monday.

The case was based on FIRs filed by the Punjab Police under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against Gurdeep Singh Rano and Rajesh Kumar, the agency said in an official statement.

27 properties attached

The attached assets include 16 immovable properties (land and buildings) in Punjab of Gurdeep Singh Rano and his family members and 11 immovable properties of Rajesh Kumar and his family members. —ED

“The attached assets include 16 immovable properties (land and building) in Punjab of Gurdeep Singh Rano and his family members and 11 immovable properties of Rajesh Kumar and his family members,” the ED said. It said, “The assets also include movable properties like balance in bank accounts, cash and gold ornaments.”

The ED, quoting the police FIR, alleged that Rano had “links” with suspected drugs smugglers, Simranjit Singh and Tanvir Bedi, who are residing abroad. “Rajesh Kumar was selling intoxicant drugs in the guise of a medical store run by him,” the ED alleged.

In both the cases, the ED said, “most immovable properties were bought in cash and the accused were not able to produce any documentary evidence in support of the source of cash.” “Investigation found that in some cases, cash was deposited in bank accounts of known persons to layer the proceeds of crime,” the ED alleged.

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