Phulbani, Jan 14: Kandhamal police in Odisha, while cracking down on ganja trafficking, have stumbled upon what officials describe as small real-estate empires allegedly built on the proceeds of the narcotics trade. In a detailed financial investigation, police uncovered assets worth nearly ₹10 crore amassed by two accused arrested for transporting ganja from the district.
The properties, linked to two separate drug syndicates, have been frozen under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
“This action reflects a policy-driven shift from merely intercepting drugs to dismantling the economic ecosystem that sustains narcotic trafficking,” Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Harisha B.C. said, emphasising the force’s renewed focus on following the money trail.
The financial probe threw up startling details. One of the accused, Asish Kumar Digal of Kandhamal district, had registered a small roadside dhaba under the Income Tax Act. However, investigators found that his declared income was largely limited to the pension received by his widowed mother.
“He started the dhaba barely two years ago, but managed to accumulate properties worth ₹5.10 crore. Assets worth ₹4.59 crore have already been frozen,” a senior police officer said. Digal allegedly purchased five plots of land and two buildings without any major known source of income, raising serious suspicion that the assets were acquired through the ganja trade.
In the second case, Dillip Kumar Goud, a native of Ganjam district currently settled in Gujarat, was arrested while transporting ganja. Subsequent financial profiling revealed that he had allegedly accumulated assets worth ₹4.69 crore, which investigators believe were directly linked to narcotics trafficking.
Explaining the legal basis for the action, Subhrajit Biswal, Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Phulbani Sadar, said the freezing of assets followed a systematic financial investigation. “Bank accounts, transaction patterns, property documents and asset ownership were examined, establishing a clear ‘reason to believe’ that the properties were proceeds of narcotic trade,” he said.
Additional Superintendent of Police Ramendra Prasad said past experience has shown that drug syndicates often survive arrests by continuing operations using accumulated wealth. “Freezing of assets prevents illicit reinvestment, disrupts supply chains and recruitment, and weakens the operational capacity of organised drug networks,” he added.
SP Harisha said the operation involved close coordination with revenue authorities, tax departments, banks and financial institutions, reflecting a technology-enabled and intelligence-led policing. approach. “Such cooperation is crucial in tracing layered and concealed money trails,” he said
