Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 — Section 98: Search of house suspected to contain stolen property, forged documents, etc

98. Search of house suspected to contain stolen property, forged documents, etc.__ (1) If a [* * * [* *]1[*]] Magistrate of the first class, upon information and after such inquiry as he thinks 1 2 necessary, has reason to believe that any place is used for the deposit or sale of stolen property, or for the deposit or sale or manufacture of forged documents, false seals or counterfeit stamps 3[, bank notes, currency notes or coin or instruments or materials for counterfeiting coin, stamps, bank notes or currency notes] or for forging, or that any forged documents, false seals or counterfeit stamps 3[bank notes, currency notes or coins or instruments or materials for counterfeiting coin, stamps, bank notes or currency notes] or for forging, are kept or deposited in any place, 4 [or 5[* * *] for the deposit, sale, manufacture or production of any obscene object such as is referred to in section 292 of the Pakistan Penal Code (XLV of 1860) or that any such obscene objects are kept or deposited in any place ;] he may by his warrant authorize any police-officer above the rank of a constable

(a)to enter, with such assistance as may be required, such place, and

(b)to search the same in manner specified in the warrant, and

(c)to take possession of any property, documents, seals, stamps 6[, bank notes, currency notes] or coins therein found which he reasonably suspects to be stolen, unlawfully obtained, forged, false or counterfeit, and also of any such instruments and materials 4[or of any such obscene objects] as aforesaid, and

(d)to convey such property, documents, seals, stamps, 6[bank notes, currency notes,] coins, instruments or materials 4[or such obscene objects] before a Magistrate, or to guard the same on the spot until the offender is taken before a Magistrate, or otherwise to dispose thereof in some place of safety, and

(e)to take into custody and carry before a Magistrate every person found in such place who appears to have been privy to the deposit, sale or manufacture or keeping of any such property, documents, seals, stamps, 6[, stamps*, bank notes or currency notes,] coins, instruments or materials 4[or such obscene objects] knowing or having reasonable cause to suspect the said property to have been stolen or otherwise unlawfully obtained, or the said documents, seals, stamps, coins, instruments or materials to have been forged, falsified or counterfeited, or the said instruments or materials to have been or to be intended to be used for counterfeiting coin 1[, stamps, bank notes or currency notes] or for forging 2[or the said obscene objects to have been or to be intended to be sold, let to hire, distributed, publicly exhibited, circulated, imported or exported].

(2)The provisions of this section with respect to

(a)counterfeit coin,

(b)coin suspected to be counterfeit, and

(c)instruments or materials for counterfeiting coin, shall, so far as they can be made applicable, apply respectively to

(a)pieces of metal made in contravention of the Metal Tokens Act,1889 (I of 1889), or brought into 3[Pakistan] in contravention of any notification for the time being in force under 4[section 16 of the Customs Act, 1969]5[(IV of 1969)],

(b)pieces of metal suspected to have been so made or to have been so brought into 3[Pakistan] or to be intended to be issued in contravention of the former of those Acts, and

(c)instruments or materials for making pieces of metal in contravention of that Act.