Cuttack: The Crime Branch (CB) has asked police officials to mention the assets of arrested drug peddlers while filing chargesheets in courts.
The CB has sent notices in this regard to all district Superintendents of Police (SPs) and Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) in state.
The SPs and DCPs have been told to ask police officers to include detailed information of the arrested drug peddlers’ assets in the chargesheets. This new guideline would be applicable to all drug peddlers arrested under the Narcotic, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, sources said.
CB sources claimed that police often arrest illegal drug traders or suppliers under the NDPS Act. However, the drug peddlers resume their illegal business after getting bail from court.
Earlier, police officers used to mention the criminal activities of arrested drug peddlers, their illegal businesses and information on their associates in the chargesheets. Henceforth, police officials would also mention the bank balances and other assets of arrested drug peddlers in the chargesheets.
As per the new guideline, investigating officers (IOs) can seek the help of Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to collect detailed information on the assets of arrested drug peddlers.
The IOs have also been told to collect asset details of arrested drug peddlers from their family members, relatives, local tehsil or municipality office, stock exchanges and insurance companies.
“Majority of drug peddlers have accumulated huge wealth. They resume their illegal business immediately after getting bail from court. Police officials have been asked to mention the asset details of arrested drug traders in the chargesheets. As a result, the assets of illegal drug traders can be confiscated by the court,” said a CB official.
Confiscation of the assets of drug peddlers would discourage them to resume their illegal business, added the official.
According to sources, the police had seized at least 850 quintals of cannabis and a kilogram of brown sugar from drug peddlers in 2018. They had also arrested 120 illegal drug traders under the NDPS Act, last year.