VRGR '%&((!1#VCEB R BP A"'!#$#1!$"#0$"T utqBVQWBuxy( / 0 C% ! ("$9 $9 9 3403$.5 ,-6 = * &2 &> 33". .?' = # 6 ( +#$,- . #() * #$% &' -837+A 3# #+*%8+# ,#% +, 6+6 ,57- #5#76# -6 N6*8+85* %6--8-#5O 6@%6+6 %8 5-*7 . %8+ + #% +++,# 7 87 '),-9 ,':- ? ! "$% !& #!+ #,3!% R P * +6 67 esides the failure of demon- Betisation to check the ram- pant use of black money in the ! just-concluded Assembly elec- tions in the five States, the alarming haul of drugs and +6 67 work involved in the illicit narcotics has been the most business. The gold was smug- worrying factor. From heroin anja and gold kept India’s gled from the India-Bhutan to brown sugar to anti-depres- Ganti-smuggling units on border. sants, the 17-crore haul indi- toes last fiscal. If the Directorate In 2017-18 fiscal, the Q cated how deep the problem is. of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) agency even busted four major As for the cash recoveries by seized 10,000 kg ganja more in factories involved in manu- ! M the Election Commission (EC), 2017-18 than the fiscal pre- facturing of synthetic drugs in M barring Chhattisgarh, the ceding it, the seizure of gold Tamil Nadu, Telangana and seizures — besides gold and sil- more than doubled during the Maharashtra leading to major # ver — almost doubled since the same period. seizures of Ketamine, Q $%&' last Assembly polls in the other The DRI seized a whop- Mephedrone, Ephedrine and ( four States this time. ping 26,785 kg ganja in 2017- Alprazolam. Syndicates ) & Of the seizures of over 18 in comparison to 16,197 kg involved in manufacture, pack- ) # 300 crore, 170 crore was in 2016-17. Incidentally, the aging, transport and possible ( cash, with Telangana leading seizures of psychotropic sub- export of psychotropic sub- $%& * $ the way accounting for 115 stances, mostly made in South stances and synthetic drugs * crore. The Assembly polls in India, accounted for 50 per were neutralised. “Synthetic + Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, for 25.39 crore. methamphetamine, heroin, Former Chief Election cent of the haul. drugs pose an emerging threat * ( ( Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Booze flowed freely in the tablets of antidepressants Commissioner OP Rawat has As for gold, 3,223 kg of the to South-Asia in general and ) Mizoram was thus one heady States as the recoveries were Alprazolam and Tramadol. All pointed out that demonetisa- yellow metal worth 974 crore India in particular,” the agency $%& mix of cash, jewellery, liquor whopping 17.29 lakh litres this worth 16.85 crore. tion didn’t reduce the use of was seized in comparison to warned in its latest report. and drugs/narcotics. worth 53.51 crore. The value In Telangana, the EC’s misuse of black money in elec- 1,422 kg worth 472 crore in The report, published by + + Interestingly, Chhattisgarh of other items, including vehi- seizure stood at 137 crore tions. Apart from cash, over 10 2016-17. Majority of gold DRI, revealed that in case of , -- is the only State where overall cles and illegal arms, stood at which included 115.16 crore lakh litres of liquor worth 15 seizures was from the four illicit drugs, the number of . seizure of cash, jewellery, drugs 31.35 crore. in cash and 689 gram diamond, crore was seized across metros which are high con- seizures in the last fiscal ' ) and liquor is lower this year as But then, besides liquor, 147 gram platinum, 18 kg Telangana over the last one sumption centres. increased to 78, up from 64 in compared to the last Assembly the new and the most disturb- gold,106 kg silver worth 6.70 month. In fact, the agency carried 2016-17. Ganja is mostly trans- polls in 2013. ing trend that was observed this crore. As much as 3,754 kg The amount of money out a major operation on ported through commercial As per the EC’s data, apart Assembly election was the use drugs (ganja, denatonium ben- seized this year is nearly 50 Thursday and Friday in vehicles by concealments in from the recovery of unac- of drugs and narcotics in the zoate, cocaine, brown sugar, crore more than the amount Lucknow and Siliguri (West false partitions, secret cavities $%&M counted 300 crore cash from five States during polls. The opium, afeem doodh) were seized during the 2014 Bengal) and seized 66 kg gold and undercover cargo to avoid * the five States during the elec- haul included brown sugar, seized since the announce- Assembly elections held for the worth 21 crore and arrested detection by law enforcement tion campaign, jewellery, gold, smack, opium, ganja, cocaine, ment of election schedule in the combined Andhra Pradesh. four persons who are being agencies. M silver and platinum accounted denatonium benzoate, first week of October. Turn to Page 4 questioned on the larger net- Turn to Page 4 ( / * + + Q # R # +) 01-2 - $ % Kolkata: Stepping up efforts to +6 67 linked to Robert Vadra on !-#9-3##6# ( ( 1 Special Task Force for further make sure that the Bengal Friday. 3*1+89/553 investigation,” said police. Government does not pose he Congress on Saturday “The people in power espe- rmoured vehicles rolled 1 UP Principal Secretary any more hurdles for its “rath Tjumped into the defence of cially PM is thinking that the Athrough central Paris on 01-3 he Uttar Pradesh (Home) Arvind Kumar on yatras” on December 12, the its leader Sonia Gandhi’s son- exit polls are right and are Saturday as riot police clashed + 5 ! TGovernment on Saturday Saturday said that the West Bengal unit of the BJP in-law Robert Vadra whose scared. People in Opposition are with and arrested “yellow vest” transferred Bulandshahr Senior Bulandshahr SSP will be filed caveat in the Supreme associates were raided by the being targeted by sending IT, protesters, who set fire to bar- ! # / Superintendent of Police (SSP) replaced by Sitapur SP Court and the Calcutta High Enforcement Directorate (ED) ED. I want to ask Modi rather ricades and hurled rocks in the ( Krishna Bahadur Singh to the Prabhakar Chaudhary. Court on Saturday. saying that people in power, blame him why such things are latest demonstrations against ! DGP office in Lucknow, five Additional Director The Bengal Government especially Prime Minister happening in his rule,” Sibal President Emmanuel Macron. days after two people, includ- General (ADG) Intelligence will now have to give notice to Narendra Modi, is scared questioned at a Press conference Shouts of “Macron, resign” $ ( * 4 ing police inspector, were killed SB Shiradkar had on Friday the BJP if they move an appli- “thinking that the exit polls are in the evening after Singhvi had mingled with tear gas on the &) in violence in Syana police submitted a report on the cation to the apex court against right” and worried about defeat already lashed out at the Modi Champs-Elysees avenue, which ( station area in Bulandshahr Bulandshahr violence. The the HC Bench order of Friday. in Assembly elections. Government earlier in the day was the scene of the worst riot- ( over the alleged cow slaughter. transfers are understood to be Coming down heavily on A battery of top Congress claiming that the raids were a ing in Paris in decades last On Friday night, the UP in line with the findings of the the State Government for fail- leaders, including Kapil Sibal, reflection of “the highest degree week. Thick plumes of black * Government had transferred report on police handling of the ing to respond to letters of the Ahmed Patel and Abhishek of panic” of the ruling dispen- smoke from fires could be * the Circle Officer of Syana, situation. BJP seeking permission for its Manu Singhvi, attacked the sation, “awaiting” poll defeats in seen rising high into the sky 2 " 5 Satya Prakash Sharma, and On December 3, Inspector “rath yatras”, a Division Bench Government for the searches the Assembly polls. over the city. ' ) & Chingravati police outpost in- Subodh Kumar Singh and a of the Calcutta HC had on by the ED against three persons Detailed report on P5 Meanwhile, around 70 6 & charge Suresh Kumar. local youth, Sumit, were killed Friday directed Bengal Chief people were arrested on Meanwhile, Armyman in violence over the alleged cow Secretary, Home Secretary and Saturday in the Belgian capital ( ( Jitendra Malik, known as Jitu slaughter incident in Director General of Police to Brussels during copycat “yellow Fauji, who is alleged to be Bulandshahr. The inspector sort out the yatra imbroglio by vest” demonstrations rocking ( behind the killing of inspector and his team had gone to the December 12 and inform the neighbouring France, Belgian Subodh Kumar Singh, was village to tackle the violence appellant (the BJP) about their police said. 6 * 4 arrested by the Army’s 22 when they came under attack. decisions. The decision should The area housing Rashtriya Rifles (RR) from The UP Police has arrest- be reasonable and not arbitrary, European institutions including ( north Kashmir’s Sopore, where ed nine accused in the the Judges said. the offices of the European Q he is posted, on Saturday. Malik Bulandshahr case but the main