New Delhi: A bill dealing with criminal offences in Telangana has been cleared by President Ram Kovind. Sources said the President gave his assent to the Telangana Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Dacoits, Drug-Offenders, Goon-das, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Land-Grabbers (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which would now will replace a 1986 Act that was applicable to the undivided Andhra Pradesh. The earlier Act however, could not punish those involved in incidents of white-collar crimes or financial frauds.

But the new Bill will now give powers to the law enforcing agencies in Telangana to deal with crimes related to sexual offences, cyber criminals and other illegal activities like bootlegging and dacoity.

The Telangana Preven-tion of Dangerous Activ-ities of Bootleggers, Dacoits, Drug-Offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Land-Grabbers (Amend-ment) Bill, 2017 had been mooted by the outgoing TRS government in the state led by K. Chandrashekar.

The Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in Telangana in December.

The new Bill provides powers to the police to initiate action against sexual offenders, explosive substances offenders, arms smugglers, cyber fraudsters and white-collar or financial offenders, a Home Ministry official said.

With these changes the State Government has also included certain other provisions like selling of spurious seeds, insecticides, fertilisers, adulteration of food, making of fake documents, unauthorised selling of forest products and gambling are punishable crimes.

Other illegal offences, including some serious crimes like bootlegging, dacoity, drug trafficking, immoral trafficking and land-grabbing will rem-ain part of the amended Act. Officials said in the earlier legislation there was no legal provision to deal with incidents of cyber frauds, sexual harassment, online gambling and fake certificates cases.

The amended Bill will now have all the relevant provisions to deal with all these crimes.