Pubdate: Mon, 03 Dec 2007
Source: Indian Express, The (India)
Copyright: 2007 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.expressindia.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1980
Author: Varinder Bhatia

NCB TIGHTENS NOOSE AROUND DRUG TRAFFICKERS

Chandigarh, December 2 The properties, assets and bank  accounts of
all the narcotics smugglers and  drug-traffickers that have been
convicted or detained  under the Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic
Substances  (NDPS) Act, are going to be 'forfeited'.

In wake of the increasing incidents of narcotics  smuggling in the
northern region, the Narcotics Control  Bureau (NCB), under the
provisions of NDPS Act, is  going to initiate the move shortly, for
which the steps  have already been initiated.

The Chandigarh Zonal unit of the NCB has started  preparing a database
of all those persons who have been  caught under the Act. "There had
been specific  intelligence inputs about certain persons, who have
amassed huge wealth by merely smuggling narcotics from  one state to
another and even out of the country. Such  smugglers are investing the
money earned from drug  trafficking into property, land-deals, bonds,
shares  and a few have dumped the same in their bank accounts.  We
have started preparing the database of all such  bank-accounts and
properties, which shall be forfeited  and scrutinised," informed Saji
Mohar, Director,  Narcotics Control Bureau.

NCB already has information on six such narcotics  smugglers who have
owned numerous properties with the  money they allegedly earned from
drug trafficking. The  properties have been identified at Mohali,
Kharar,  Derabassi and certain interior parts of Punjab and  Haryana.

"We are shortly going to recommend forfeiture of such  properties and
freezing of bank accounts opened by such  drug dealers to a competent
authority in New Delhi. An  Indian Revenue Services officer is in
charge of the  wing and he is the final authority on it, but it is one
  of the provisions under the Act," said Mohar. The NCB  has already
started sending communications to the  Income Tax department and the
authorities at Reserve  Bank of India, seeking their cooperation in
the task of  forfeiture.

A team of NCB officials have collected relevant  information and
evidences on the 'illegally earned  wealth' of such narcotics
smugglers by keeping  surveillance at such persons and tracing their
financial and property transactions.
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MAP posted-by: Derek