Latest news with #SmugglersandForeignExchangeManipulators(ForfeitureofProperty)Act
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
U.P. ANTF likely to have wider jurisdiction, special court
The jurisdiction of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) is likely to be expanded, and a proposal to establish a special court for its cases is in the pipeline. The move aims to improve coordination in narcotics-related operations across the state and facilitate the creation of a collective database. During his visit to the ANTF headquarters to review its working on Thursday, the new director general of police (DGP), Rajeev Krishna, directed the ANTF officials to send the proposal to authorities concerned for jurisdiction expansion and the setting up of a special court in line with provisions available to other specialised state and central agencies, according to a press statement. The objective is to strengthen the ANTF operational capabilities and enhance effectiveness in tackling the growing menace of narcotics trafficking, which poses a significant threat to the youth and society, the statement said. The ANTF was established in August 2022 to curb production, sale and purchase of narcotic substances in the state. The agency is also meant to take action against listed drug peddlers, mafia and gangs and maintain coordination with central agencies like Narcotics Control Bureau, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Financial Intelligence Unit and Central Bureau of Narcotics to accelerate operational activities. A senior police official pointed out that several specialised agencies like U.P. Anti Terror Squad (ATS), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) operate with a wide-ranging jurisdiction of their police stations. These agencies, he said, have special courts for better coordination during the trial and other legal proceedings. 'In the absence of wide-range jurisdiction and no special courts, the ANTF has struggled to develop into a robust unit like the U.P. ATS and STF,' he said, adding, 'The ANTF is considered to be a dumping ground for police officers since its formation on August 23, 2022'. According to the statement, the DGP also directed the ANTF to ensure an increase in the quantity of narcotics recovered in the state. As per the ANTF, it has seized narcotics, drugs and psychotropic substances worth only ₹250 crore since its formation. The agency initiated action under Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PITNDPS Act), 1988 only in nine cases and under Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976 in just 18 cases. The DGP laid stress on the importance of gathering high-quality intelligence and maintaining vigilance on the dark web, where digital networks of narcotics operate. He also directed the ANTF to establish coordination with financial transaction agencies and create a comprehensive financial database at the headquarters level. The ANTF, however, has also collaborated with the agriculture department to conduct digital mapping of narcotics cultivation. The DGP emphasised that the ANTF will be developed not just as a unit but as the sharpest weapon of the U.P. Police in the fight against narcotics. The inspection was attended by senior officials, including ADG (crime), IG (ANTF), SP (ANTF), and other officers.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Time of India
‘Instagram Queen' in trouble again: Sacked cop arrested for disproportionate assets; freeze on Rs 1.35cr possessions
Bathinda: Punjab Police dismissed head constable Amandeep Kaur, widely known on social media as 'Instagram Queen' and 'Thar wali constable' for her flashy lifestyle, was arrested by the state vigilance bureau on Monday for allegedly having assets disproportionate to her income. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Amandeep was arrested from Punjabi singer Afsana Khan's residence in Badal village. She is a friend of Afsana Khan's sister, Raftar Kaur, and had gobe to meet her. In separate action, there was more trouble for the sacked cop, as her movable and immovable assets worth Rs 1.35 crore were also frozen as per orders confirmed by the Union ministry of finance. The assets included a residential building in Virat Nagar, Bathinda, valued at Rs 99 lakh; a residential plot in Dream City, Bathinda, valued at Rs 18.12 lakh; a Mahindra Thar 2025 model valued at Rs 14 lakh; a Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle model 2023 valued at Rs 1.7 lakh, a Rolex watch valued at Rs 1 lakh, three mobile phones valued at Rs 56,000, and Rs 1.01 lakh in her bank account. The order to freeze the assets were issued under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976; Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985; and Adjudicating Authority Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988. Earlier, acting on a complaint, the VB scrutinised details of Amandeep's movable and immovable properties acquired between 2018 and 2025, along with her salary, bank accounts, and loan records. A spokesperson for the bureau stated the probe revealed that Amandeep's total income was Rs 1.08 crore during the seven years, while her expenditure stood at Rs 1.39 crore, which is Rs 31 lakh more than her known sources of income. Based on these findings, the bureau registered a case under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act at its police station in Bathinda range. Amandeep, who hit the headlines earlier this year after she was caught with heroin, now faces fresh legal trouble as authorities pursue a case against her for amassing assets that allegedly far exceed her known sources of income. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She was dismissed from service after her arrest under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on April 3, 2025. She was caught with 17.7 gm heroin inside her Thar SUV during a routine check near Badal flyover in Bathinda. The operation was conducted by the anti-narcotics task force (ANTF) in collaboration with local police. Her vehicle was impounded, and she was taken into custody. Police then conducted investigations into the backward and forward linkages regarding the recovery of the drug, apart from the assets amassed by her. Despite being a serving police officer, Amandeep frequently posted Instagram reels in uniform, in direct violation of Punjab Police's social media conduct rules. The department prohibits personnel from creating or sharing videos while in uniform to preserve professionalism and prevent the misuse of the police emblem. On social media, Amandeep is a sensation and has 90,000 followers on Instagram, where she shows off her lavish lifestyle, branded handbags, designer attire, and her Shih Tzu pet dog. Her frequent transfers during her 14-year tenure were attributed to complaints about disciplinary violations and misuse of social media. A Mahindra Thar 2021 model, valued at Rs 12.5 lakh, was not frozen as it was sold before the NDPS Act case was registered against her.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Centre asked to compensate owners for unlawful occupation of property
New Delhi: Delhi High Court has emphasised that it is the state's responsibility to protect the civil rights of citizens, including property, as a constitutional authority and repository of public the central govt to pay the owners of a private property costs of over Rs 1.7 crore with interest, the court held that their premises were illegally occupied for two decades by the authorities after being seized under a stringent law during the Emergency Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav observed that the right to property, though no longer a fundamental right, continued to occupy a sacrosanct position within the democratic framework as a constitutional and legal right under Article 300A (persons not to be deprived of property except by authority of law) of the Constitution."The state, being a constitutional authority and repository of public trust, is duty-bound to protect, rather than transgress, the civil rights of its citizens, including the right to property. The powers of the state are not plenary or absolute but are circumscribed by constitutional and statutory limitations," it noted in an order passed last week."In a constitutional democracy governed by the principles of justice, equity and good conscience, the preservation of legal rights, such as that of proprietary rights, must remain an unyielding commitment of the state," HC said, adding that any executive or legislative action which seeks to divest a citizen of property without due process, in the absence of an enabling law, would be held court's observations came in a suit filed by the owner of a flat in Ansal Bhawan at Kasturba Gandhi Marg in the national capital, occupied under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976 (SAFEMA), based on a revoked detention order. The suit by the owners of the property alleged "systematic violation" of their proprietary rights, which began with the period of proclamation of Emergency in response, the Directorate of Estates under the ministry of housing and urban affairs claimed that the property was leased out to them and later forfeited to the central govt by a 1998 order. Upon forfeiture, the suit property vested absolutely in the central govt free from all encumbrances, it maintained, pointing out that the forfeiture remained in operation until March 28, 2016, when the proceedings under SAFEMA stood suit was filed by the plaintiffs seeking damages of mesne profits, loss of market rent, and the damages arising out of outstanding property tax, along with held that the occupation of property from 1999 to 2020 was unlawful, and allowed the plaintiffs' claim for the grant of mesne profits. Based on the then prevailing market rates, it held they are entitled to over Rs 1.7 crore with interest. The court found it imperative to have a "strict" scrutiny of state actions, particularly those involving the deprivation or restriction of immovable assets.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Tribunal upholds I-T attaching 900 accounts in Buldana Coop case
Finding merit in the Income-Tax department's case against alleged irregularities at Buldana Urban Cooperative Credit Society Ltd , an appellate tribunal under Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA) recently upheld the attachment of around 900 suspicious bank accounts . #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Pakistan's economy has much more to lose than India's due to the ongoing tensions, warns Moody's Ratings The day Pakistan got the power to poke India FM Sitharaman meets ADB chief and Italian FM, discusses economic issues; no mention of Pakistan The accounts were attached under the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act (PBPTA) by the Nagpur unit during the course of its investigation and the same were confirmed by the adjudicating authority (AA). The search operation by the department had allegedly revealed suspicious deposits in numerous accounts at the cooperative society. Funds of over ₹52 crore were found to be connected to PWD contracts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Rates Undo The society came under I-T scanner during an investigation of its loan to a Nanded-based sugar mill connected with former chief minister Ashok Chavan. He had denied the allegations and said all banking norms were followed. Chavan, a former Congress leader, joined the BJP in 2024. The probe had found that 900 accounts were opened; of this 718 were newly opened non-PAN accounts, 53 old inactive accounts, 118 non-PAN accounts in another branch. The deposits in these accounts followed suspicious patterns structured to keep individual transactions below ₹2 lakh The probe further revealed that the beneficiary of the amount deposited is one SAMRAT. Live Events In September , 2021, the department carried out a search and survey action on premises linked to builders Prashant Nilawar and Jayant Hiralal Shah, who were alleged to be acting as middlemen/liaison in the Public Works Department (PWD) of Maharashtra. Both of them run business of real estate and construction in the name of M/s Rucha Group and M/s Jairaj Group . "The modus operandi of cash collection from HAM works and transfer and posting of officers/engineers of PWD was unearthed in the search. The benami cash transaction of ₹52.19 crore was found with the co-operative society," the I-T had contented. "The document/summary sheet was found stored in the photo gallery of iPhone found in the custody of CA Shri Nilesh Toshniwal."
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Time of India
Peddler booked under smugglers Act, Rs 8.7 lakh confiscated
Bengaluru: CCB sleuths booked a drug peddler from Kerala under Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA) and seized Rs 8.7 lakh from his bank accounts and in cash. The peddler, Amir Khan, 32, was nabbed in Nov last year at Amruthahalli. MDMA, valued at Rs 71 lakh, was seized from him and a case registered under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. When Amir was in Central Prison, his two associates from Bengaluru used to visit him. Based on Amir's instructions, they would deliver drugs while Amir received money into his and his relatives' accounts. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Police booked Amir under Karnataka Prisons Act in Feb. They found he was sourcing drugs from peddlers in neighbouring states and selling them in Bengaluru. As much as Rs 3.9 lakh was found in his account and Rs 81,000 in a relative's account; Rs 4 lakh was also seized in cash.
