PATIALA – In a major action against proclaimed offenders (POs), the Punjab Police have freezed properties worth over Rs 146 crore of 55 such offenders in the past year and a half. The police have also arrested 2,427 POs while properties of 283 others have been identified since January 2020.
While the Amritsar police top the list in action against POs by freezing assets worth Rs 125 crore belonging to a single family, the Patiala police have seized properties worth Rs 10 crore from 22 POs, including a terrorist, who has been evading arrest for the past over 30 years.
Data collected by The Tribune suggests that the Amritsar (Rural) police top in terms of financial seizure while the Patiala police top with the maximum such properties seized. Further, the Fatehgarh Sahib police have seized properties worth Rs 4.46 crore of five POs.
Earlier this month, properties belonging to Gulshan Jain and his family, who owned Virumal Mulakhraj Rice Mill at Jandiala Guru, were seized by the Amritsar police. The family has been absconding for the past two years after allegedly bungling government paddy and taking bank limits worth Rs 200 crore.
Patiala SSP Vikramjeet Duggal said properties in many cases were attached as per the instructions of area magistrates under Sections 82 and 83 of the CrPC.
“A local court recently declared Baldev Singh, a suspect booked under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act in 1988, a proclaimed offender and allowed the police to attach his properties. These properties include seven acres in his village Dandoa and are valued at Rs 2.17 crore,” Duggal said.
Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta told The Tribune the properties of 283 people had been identified and process was on to attach them. “Many of them have skipped court hearings or have not joined investigations. In all such cases, properties are identified and attached as per law,” he added.
