Court orders house attachment and Rs. 52,000 payment in 10-year sentence case, State begins seizing property of NDPS convicts
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, September 21, 2025
In a strict move against narcotics trafficking, the state administration has started attaching movable and immovable assets of persons found involved in the transportation of narcotic substances, following multiple court orders. The step comes amid complaints that the police are still unable to apprehend some of the major figures in the drug mafia, prompting courts to target the property and finances of those linked to drug carriage and supply.
A local court in Sepahijala District yesterday ordered the attachment of the home of Shambhu Das, convicted under the NDPS Act and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and directed that Rs. 52,000 be realised in the matter and deposited with the court. The court’s letter on the matter was sent to the District Magistrate of Sipahijala district two months ago; after receiving it, the District Magistrate asked the Bishalgarh Sub-Divisional Officer to investigate.
Deputy Collector and Magistrate Prasenjit Das personally visited Rajib Colony, Kalitila area of Charilam police station on Saturday afternoon to inspect Shambhu Das’s house and conduct the inquiry. He spoke with Dipaa Sutradhar, wife of Shambhu’s younger brother Sameer Das, and on-site observations indicated that Shambhu’s house was in a dilapidated condition and his family’s economic situation was precarious.
Prasenjit Das told reporters that because the house sits inside a reserve forest area, it cannot be sold or auctioned to raise the court-ordered amount. “If the house had been raiyati jot (private agricultural land), we could have sold it to raise the Rs. 52,000 ordered by the court,” he said. He added that NDPS cases are extremely important in combating substance abuse in society and that once a person is caught and convicted under the Act, there is little room for leniency.
Court records and the inquiry show that Shambhu Das, son of the late Haradhan Das was arrested by police from the Ambasa area with narcotic substances and subsequently convicted under the NDPS Act. His wife, Banti Rani Das, and two children, one son and one daughter are said to be living separately. After Shambhu’s conviction seven months ago, his wife left with their daughter to her parental home in Bishalgarh while leaving their son in the care of Shambhu’s younger brother.
Deputy Collector Prasenjit Das said that after the sentence period ends, there is a provision that the convict can be released only after the court is satisfied, in this case he said a payment of Rs. 1,00,000 to the court would be required for release, as per the directions he had been tasked to verify. He emphasised that the administration is following the court’s directives and completing the statutory inquiries before any attachment or realisation can proceed.
The administration has already realised sums in similar cases: Prasenjit Das confirmed that Rs. 50,000 was collected from Babul Das of Ghania Mura area earlier in connection with another NDPS matter and deposited the money with the court.
Prasenjit Das has completed his on-site inquiry into Shambhu Das’s case and will submit a detailed report to the District Magistrate and the Sub-Divisional Officer of Bisalgarh. The state administration said it will continue to act on court directions to detain, attach, and where lawfully possible, realise assets connected to narcotics trafficking as part of a broader strategy to curb the drug trade and penalise those profiting from transporting illegal substances.
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