Gurgaon: In a first-of-its-kind action in Haryana under India’s new criminal laws, Gurgaon police secured direct financial compensation of Rs 11.3 lakh to a fraud victim by attaching and auctioning a car purchased with the proceeds of crime, completing the process within 60 days of initiating legal proceedings.Earlier, only Enforcement Directorate had these powers. Police claimed this was done for the first time not just in Haryana but in India.The case was registered in the first week of Jan at Sector 10A police station. The accused, a resident of Jaipur, allegedly developed a physical relationship with the complainant on the pretext of marriage and extorted Rs 14.5 lakh from her, according to the FIR. Police said he used the money to purchase a Volkswagen Virtus car.Invoking sections 107(1) (empowers police to attach and forfeit property derived from criminal activity), 107(6) and 107(7) of BNSS, police moved an application before the court seeking attachment of the vehicle on the grounds that it was acquired entirely from the proceeds of crime. During court proceedings, the accused admitted the car was purchased using the defrauded amount.The accused was arrested on Jan 4. Acting on the plea, the court passed an attachment order on Jan 21.Following the court’s order, Gurgaon police initiated auction proceedings on Feb 25 through the office of the district magistrate. A public notice was issued and the vehicle was put up for auction on govt’s e-auction portal. The highest bid received was Rs 11.3 lakh.On Feb 27, the bidder handed over a cheque of Rs 11.3 lakh directly to the woman in court, ensuring immediate financial relief.Police officers said the move was a significant step towards victim-centric justice and transparent recovery of defrauded money under BNSS, adding that the case demonstrates how proceeds of crime can be swiftly identified, attached and monetised to compensate complainants directly.ACP (West) Abhilaksh Joshi said that only ED or other central agencies had the authority to attach and auction properties acquired through criminal proceeds earlier.“In the absence of such powers earlier, police faced difficulties in securing compensation for victims in economic offence cases. Under the new BNSS law, we attached several such properties, but this is the first case in which we attached a property, auctioned it and handed over compensation to the victim within 60 days, with the support of the deputy commissioner and other administrative authorities. This process was initiated by the police for the first time in the country,” he said.Joshi added that as the vehicle was not brand new, the district administration conducted a valuation before proceeding with the auction.He said police will also freeze the accused’s bank accounts, if required, to facilitate additional compensation.
