A competent authority in Kolkata has ordered forfeiture of properties worth over Rs 3 crore owned by two ganja smugglers of Ganjam district, police said on Thursday.
The order was passed as per the recommendation made by the Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha police for seizure of the properties of two brothers Banmali Pradhan and Arun Kumar Pradhan of the Buguda area in Ganjam, police said.
On April 29, 2022, the STF had seized ganja of 106 kg and 517 grams opium from the possession of the brothers. Later, during the financial investigation, the police found that Arun and Banamali have allegedly acquired assets of over Rs 3 crore from illegal narcotics trade, they said.
The duo's assets seized included five commercial buildings at Buguda, eight landed properties, deposits in 19 accounts of different banks, two vehicles and gold ornaments weighing 595 grams.
These properties were purchased from ill-gotten money of drug trafficking within the last six years in the name of accused persons as well as in the name of their relatives, added the officials.