Varanasi: In a joint action, the police and district administration attached two immovable properties worth over Rs 1.80 crore belonging to Afzal, a notorious land mafia and close associate of deceased gangster Mukhtar Ansari, in Sahadatpura on Wednesday.
Mau Superintendent of Police (SP) Elamaran G said the action was initiated as part of the ongoing drive to dismantle the economic empire of gangsters.The police received inputs that Afzal, who is a district-level land mafia and also one of the top ten notorious criminals, purchased an immovable property worth Rs 45.66 lakh in the name of his cousin. Additionally, he had made an agreement for another immovable property worth Rs 1.36 crore in the names of his close associates, Sarfaraj Ahmed and Prashant Kumar Singh. All these properties were located in Sahadatpura. After collecting details of properties purchased with illegally earned money, the matter was forwarded to the land revenue department.
City Circle Officer (CO) Anjani Kumar Pandey stated that a detailed report was prepared and submitted to the District Magistrate's court with a recommendation for action on Oct 5. Subsequently, the DM ordered the attachment of these properties under Gangsters Act on Oct 22. To complete the formalities of attaching the immovable properties, a joint team of the district administration and police reached Sahadatpura. Following the announcement, notices of attachment were displayed at both sites.