Morigaon/Guwahati, Jun 5 (PTI) A piece of land in a prime location, owned by a person allegedly involved in a major cybercrime, was on Thursday seized by the Morigaon district administration of Assam following a court order, an official said.

The land, measuring approximately 1.5 kathas, is located in the heart of Morigaon town and was acquired by one Shoriful Islam using money obtained through cyber frauds.

Islam, a resident of Bowalguri village under Laharighat police Station, was allegedly involved in a cybercrime case where he and his accomplices allegedly cheated a major finance company of over Rs 1 crore.

The scam was carried out by using fake PAN cards, Aadhaar cards, and credit cards to obtain loans from the company, the official said.

The money was then deposited into the bank account of Islam's wife at the Morigaon branch of a private bank.

The police registered a case against Islam and conducted a thorough investigation, filing a charge sheet and seeking the court's permission to seize the land acquired by Islam using the proceeds of the fraud.

The Morigaon Judicial Magistrate First Class Court ordered the immediate confiscation of the land.

Following the court order, the district administration and police jointly conducted an operation to seize the land.

Islam is currently absconding, the police said.

District Commissioner Debashish Sharma, Superintendent of Police Hemanta Kumar Das, and other officials were present during the operation.

Since 2021, the police have registered multiple cases against Islam and the seizure of his assets is a significant step in curbing cybercrime in the region, the official said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the hands of the law is long and strong.

"Shoriful Islam may have duped many people, but his time is up now. This cyber fraud, now on the run, amassed properties worth crores which has now been attached," Sarma posted on X.

"No matter how smart you think you are, @assampolice will catch and punish you," he added. PTI COR DG NN

Asset seizure of property acquired through cyber fraud after court order and coordinated police-district administration operation. Land acquired with proceeds of an alleged cyber fraud was seized after a magistrate ordered its confiscation and the district administration and police executed the order. The property was purchased using funds obtained by employing fake PAN, Aadhaar and credit cards to obtain loans, with proceeds deposited into the suspect's wife's bank account; the accused is absconding and authorities have pursued asset attachment as part of ongoing investigations.