In a crackdown on properties allegedly constructed with proceeds from drug trafficking, the Jalandhar administration on Saturday demolished a portion of an under-construction building in the Basti Bawa Khel area. A joint squad of the police and the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation conducted the demolition drive at Adda Basti Bawa Khel on Kapurthala Road.
The building belongs to Amandeep Singh, alias Anand, a resident of Bajwa Colony in Basti Peer Dad, according to officers. The property had earlier been sealed after authorities recognised it as having allegedly been built using money earned through drug trafficking.
Police Commissioner Satinder Singh stated the area had been recognised as a drug hotspot. He remarked the police had raided Amandeep’s shop around a fortnight ago and recovered intoxicant tablets. Subsequent investigations disclosed that money earned from the sale of intoxicant medicines was allegedly being used to finance the construction of the building. He added that the medical licences issued in the names of Amandeep and his father had also been scrapped.
The Municipal Corporation had earlier served notices on Amandeep regarding the unauthorised construction. However, after receiving no response, the civic body decided to demolish the illegal portion of the structure in coordination with the police.
The Police Commissioner said the remaining structure would also be demolished in phases and the property would be permanently confiscated. He added that the site would subsequently become administration property.
Amandeep has three cases registered against him, including two under the Arms Act and one under the NDPS Act, according to the police. He is presently lodged in the Kapurthala Central Jail in relation to a confrontation between two groups that took place in June in the Division No. 1 police station region. Satinder Singh said the anti-drug drive was being intensified in recognised hotspots across the city, with the administration stepping up action against properties allegedly acquired or constructed using money generated through drug trafficking.
