Police on Tuesday attached an immovable property worth around Rs 1.25 crore belonging to an alleged drug peddler in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district under the provisions of the NDPS Act, officials said.
The attached property comprises shops and a dhaba located at Chapper Morh in Hiranagar and belongs to Sudesh Mehta, son of Parkash Chand, a resident of Chapper village in the district, they said.According to police, the property was identified as illegally acquired during the course of an investigation and was prima facie found to have been purchased using proceeds generated from illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
Officials said that the attachment was carried out under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. A police team formally attached the property in the presence of officials from the Revenue, Public Works, and Roads and Buildings (R&B) departments, they said.
During the investigation, it surfaced that the property, with an estimated market value of Rs 1.25 crore, had allegedly been acquired through income generated from narcotics-related activities, police said.
Local residents welcomed the move, describing it as a significant step in curbing the drug menace and dismantling the financial networks of drug traffickers in the district.
Police reiterated their commitment to intensifying the crackdown on drug trafficking by targeting both narcotics networks and assets allegedly created through the proceeds of the illegal trade.