Smugglers’ properties worth Rs 42.70 cr freezed by Ludhiana police

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 27

Cracking the whip against drug smugglers caught by the Ludhiana police in several instances in the recent past, their properties worth Rs 42.70 crore have been freezed by the police. The properties, 30 in Ludhiana district and 11 in other districts, were attached by the Police Commissionerate in the past.

Not only this, a list of 20 cases has already been sent to the Competent Authority, New Delhi, and if the freezing orders come, the properties, the value of which is also in crores of rupees, will also be freezed.

Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, Kuldeep Singh Chahal, while talking to The Tribune here on Tuesday said besides ensuring maximum punishment for the smugglers through law, freezing their properties, which were amassed by them from the proceeds of drug money, would serve as a deterrent for them.

“In the recent past, the Ludhiana police have freezed properties in 21 cases and their value was Rs 42.70 crore. In some cases, properties are owned by multiple smugglers. Among these cases, properties in 12 cases are located in Ludhiana district and in nine, properties are located outside the district”. These are freezed under Section 68F(2) of the NDPS Act, 1985,” Chahal said.

The CP said as many as 20 cases had already been sent for approval to the Competent Authority, New Delhi, and once the approval comes, the police would put up freezing notices on properties.

Action against woman

A drug peddler, Raji, a resident of the Civil Lines, Haibowal Kalan, was nabbed by the city police in February 2024 with 250 gm of heroin. Her house worth Rs 35.86 lakh bought from drug money at Pritam Nagar was freezed by the police.

Holdings bought in name of kin, friends too attached

CP Kuldeep Singh Chahal claimed that when the police started identifying the properties amassed by smugglers through illegal means, an interesting fact came to the fore that many of them have bought properties in the name of their family members, relatives and friends but after establishing the same, those were also freezed. The top cop said recently, the police freezed the property (house) worth Rs 2.84 crore of Babbar, alias Mack, a resident of Model Town Extension, which was bought by the suspect in the name of his relative Ashwani Kumar. Even a property worth Rs 5.60 crore of smuggler Paramvir Singh, alias Marshal, of BRS Nagar was also freezed. It was also bought in the name of his parents and wife.

The CP asserted that even if the smuggler has bought a property in the name of his/her distant relative, the same would also be freezed.

41 properties attached

The properties of smugglers, 30 in Ludhiana district and 11 in other districts, were attached by the Police Commissionerate

in the recent past.