Properties worth over Rs 73 lakh of drug trafficker forfeited in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Ill-gotten properties worth over Rs 73 lakh of a drug trafficker have been forfeited by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch in Odisha.

Cash and bank deposits to the tune of Rs 73.75 lakh of drug trafficker Shiba Prasad Das alias Shibu of Mundia Sahi under Jatni police limits in Khurda district have been forfeited by the STF after getting due approval in this regard from the competent authority under the NDPS Act, 1985.

The STF officials had seized around 3 kg brown sugar from the rented accommodation of Das in Nayagarh district on January 25, 2022. They also seized three guns, seven magazines, at least 43 rounds of ammunition and Rs 65.32 lakh in cash from the possession of Dash.

The STF had registered a case against Das under the NDPS Act and launched a probe into the incident. The STF sleuths had also seized around Rs 6.68 lakh and Rs 1.64 lakh from two bank accounts of Das during the investigation.

The STF had approached the Competent Authority and Administrator of NDPS Act, Kolkata, for forfeiture of the cash seized from Das’ rented accommodation and his two bank accounts.

The competent authority has approved the forfeiture of the seized properties of the accused after hearing both the parities, said an official of the STF.