In a bid to curb the sale of drugs in the state, the Tamil Nadu police have begun cracking down on dealers and peddlers by putting a check on the money that they earn through such sales. By invoking Section 68 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Tamil Nadu police-south zone have begun freezing the bank accounts of those accused of selling drugs under the Act. Over 494 such cases have been booked in the past 12 days, since May 18, with as many as 814 bank accounts being blocked. The highest number of cases at 114 were booked in Madurai, under which the accounts of 191 people have been blocked.
Speaking to TNM, Inspector General (IG)-south zone Asra Garg said that the operation has been ongoing since May 18. “We wanted to move beyond the traditional, time-tested method of identifying the accused and sending them to judicial remand,” he said, adding that as per investigations, the bank accounts of the accused’s dependent family members — who may also make use of the money earned by the sale of drugs — are liable to be seized. Further, they found that many have begun using online wallets such as UPI apps to buy drugs, which the police aim to curb by freezing the bank accounts, the IG added.
Taking it one step further, those found with commercial quantities of ganja — that is, over 20 kg — are also liable to have their immovable assets, such as property, houses, vehicles, etc., seized by the police. “These assets will be un-frozen by police orders, or by courts,” IG Asra Garg said. So far, six such cases have been registered in three southern districts, according to a police release, and the assets of the accused as well as their family members and friends have been seized.
Since May 18, Rs 37 lakh worth immovable assets and three two-wheelers have been seized by the Madurai-Andipatti police, while in Sedapatti PS, Rs 59 lakh worth of immovable assets have been blocked in two cases. In Dindigul, assets worth as much as Rs 1.8 crore have been seized.