Drug peddler’s properties seized in Bengaluru over narco cases: Police | Bengaluru - Hindustan Times
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Drug peddler’s properties seized in Bengaluru over narco cases: Police

Jul 10, 2022 06:09 AM IST

In a statement, the police said the seizure of property was carried out under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. According to the CCB, the properties seized belonged to Mallesh G, a resident of Hanur in Chamarajanagar district.

Bengaluru: In a first, Bengaluru city police have seized the properties of a drug peddler in connection with narcotics cases, joint commissioner of Central Crime Branch (CCB) Raman Gupta said on Saturday, adding the value of the movable and immovable assets seized is around 50 lakh.

Launching a crackdown against the growing menace of banned substances in Bengaluru, the city police have registered 1,1716 drug-related cases and booked 2,262 persons till mid-June this year
Launching a crackdown against the growing menace of banned substances in Bengaluru, the city police have registered 1,1716 drug-related cases and booked 2,262 persons till mid-June this year

In a statement, the police said the seizure of property was carried out under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. According to the CCB, the properties seized belonged to Mallesh G, a resident of Hanur in Chamarajanagar district.

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Mallesh is an accused in a drug smuggling case. “With the money he got from the drug smuggling, he purchased 8 acres of land worth 50 lakh in 2013 and also kept cash worth 3 lakh in five bank accounts,” said a senior CCB official.

The police probe into the case has revealed that Mallesh was involved in drug smuggling in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka and that he used to get the marijuana from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

The case against him was initially registered with Konanakunte police station in Bengaluru in 2018. The commissioner of police for Bengaluru city transferred the case to the Narcotics Prevention Wing of CCB on May 19, 2022.

It was found that for 10 to 12 years the accused was into drug peddling and smuggling. The accused was involved in 7 NDPS cases in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts.

Based on this investigation, the CCB approached the court with a request to seize his properties. In June, permission was given under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture Of Property) Act, 1976 and NDPS Act by a local court.

Launching a crackdown against the growing menace of banned substances in Bengaluru, the city police have registered 1,1716 drug-related cases and booked 2,262 persons till mid-June this year. The number of cases registered in the first six months indicates that by the year-end, the total figure is likely to surpass the last year’s numbers, according to the Bengaluru police.

The total value of the drug haul last year was pegged at 60 crore as against the 55 crore calculated so far in this year. In terms of quantity, the total drug haul was 3705 kgs in 2021 and 2005 kgs in 2022 until June, the police said.

In comparison, 2,766 cases were registered with 3,673 suspects being arrested in 2020. The figure was 768 cases and 1,260 arrests in 2019, HT reported.

The police also destroyed 21 tonnes of seized narcotics, worth nearly 50 crore, as part of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

“Value (of seized product) is already at 55 crore and we are about to surpass in six months only when compared to last year. The number of cases may be less but the quality and quantity per case has gone up,” Gupta said.

Last year, a total of 5,753 people were booked in 4,555 cases said the police.

A total of 3,641.75 kg drugs worth over 592 million were seized in 2021 against 3,912.82 kg drugs worth 213 million captured in 2020, and 1053.188 kg drugs worth 34,686,700 in 2019.

As one of India’s biggest urban centres and home to over 12 million residents, Bengaluru has seen a sharp spike in drugs that range from marijuana to cocaine and other chemically-prepared substances, Gupta added.

Talking about an increase in the number of drug busts, Gupta said, “Particular reason (for higher busts) is because it is a priority to rid the state of the menace for police, government and home department.”He added that the number of consumers has also gone up.

“The demand has gone up because it (Bengaluru) is a tech hub and there are techies from north India and other parts of the country who are settled here. The young generation gets easily enticed to such vices. So, we are trying our best to target the drug trade,” he added.

The police said that they destroyed 4,353kg of narcotics, 6,679 MDMA (Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine) and ecstasy pills, and 2,995 LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) strips, seized between August 25, 2021, and June 26, 2022.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Arun Dev is an Assistant Editor with the Karnataka bureau of Hindustan Times. A journalist for over 10 years, he has written extensively on crime and politics.

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