EAGLE Force forfeits assets worth Rs 70.39 lakh in Warangal ganja case

HYDERABAD: In a major move, EAGLE Force has traced and forfeited movable and immovable assets worth about Rs 70.39 lakh allegedly linked to proceeds from a ganja trafficking network in Warangal.

The action followed the seizure of 147.3 kg of dry ganja, an Innova car, a Swift car and three mobile phones in a case registered at the Warangal Narcotics Police Station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act earlier. The suspects arrested then were identified as Nerella Sadaiah alias Sathish, Samala Sheshu, Kilo Somaraju and Munawar Ali.

Sandeep Shandilya, Director, EAGLE Force, said that as part of the financial investigation, police examined bank accounts, property records and other documents to trace assets allegedly acquired from illicit drug proceeds. The inquiry was conducted under Section 68F of the NDPS Act, 1985.

According to EAGLE Force, an amount of Rs 1,59,910 in three bank accounts belonging to Munawar Ali and his family members was frozen. A tractor and a two-wheeler, valued at Rs 7.80 lakh, were seized from Kilo Somaraju and Samala Raju, the brother of Samala Sheshu.

Three immovable properties, comprising agricultural land and two open plots linked to relatives of Sadaiah and Sheshu, were also identified. Their estimated market value was Rs 61 lakh.

Following confirmation by the competent authority in Chennai, the identified properties were forfeited on Tuesday under Section 68F of the NDPS Act, Sandeep Shandilya added.