The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Police in a fix over sealing gangster’s property Law and order

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Monday, Sep 08, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Police in a fix over sealing gangster’s property Law and order

While properties of two offenders were sealed, the police seem clueless in the case of a gangster, writes Marri Ramu

Recovering stolen property like electronic goods and jewellery is routine for the police. But the Mirchowk police went a step ahead by sealing the house of Habeeb Hasan, wanted in several chain snatching cases, after arresting him recently.

Police contended that since Hasan confessed to having purchased the house with the money accrued through sale of stolen goods, they moved the court for its confiscation. Though rare, sealing immovable property of persons arrested in property offences is not unheard of.

Few years ago, the Banjara Hills police arrested one Uppalaiah and sealed his house on similar charge. The idea was to checkmate attempts of offenders to avoid recovery of stolen property and help the victims secure at least part of their lost money.

Despite claims by the police that they are legally and morally on right side on this issue, the question is whether they are cracking the whip in similar fashion in all such cases? The case of alleged gangster -- charged with involvement in more than 48 cases including murders and extortions -- presents a pessimistic picture.

Police picked up Khan after raiding his hide-out in Gulbarga of Karnataka in May last year. Later producing him before media persons, city police officials went on record stating that he acquired properties worth over Rs. 50 crore in Gulbarga with the money he illegally made through extortions and land grabbing.

What a recovery!

Nearly four months after nabbing Khan, all that the police could recover was a knife he allegedly used to attack a person. But no efforts were made to seal his properties in Gulbarga or city.

No one knows whether investigators even identified his assets let alone sealing and confiscating them.

That raises several questions.

If properties of Uppalaiah and Hasan can be sealed, why not so in the case of Khan charged with more serious offences. Some police officials allege that persons like Khan were continuing their illegal activities by coming out of jail within weeks of being arrested exploiting lacunae in the laws.

Stringent laws

They argue in favour of bringing out stringent laws on the line of Organised Crime Control Act in Maharashtra State.

It is paradoxical that law-enforcers fail to use the provisions of the existing laws and speak of new Acts.

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