The Sirmaur police have arrested five alleged drug peddlers and recovered a total of 22.29 grams of heroin (chitta) in three separate operations conducted in Paonta Sahib and Sangrah areas as part of the district’s ongoing anti-narcotics campaign. Cases have been registered against all the accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and further investigations are underway.
According to the police, the first operation was carried out by the Detection Cell, Paonta Sahib, on the basis of a specific tip-off in the Badripur area. A car (bearing registration number HP44A-1338) was intercepted and searched, leading to the recovery of 9.22 grams of heroin from three occupants.
The accused have been identified as Suraj Thakur, a resident of Sulana village in Churah tehsil of Chamba district, who is presently employed as a lineman with the HP State Electricity Board in Shillai; Akhil, and Kamlesh Kumar, both residents of Dhakoli village in Shillai tehsil. The trio was produced before a court and remanded to three days of police custody.
In another case, a team of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), Nahan, recovered 6.12 grams of heroin from the possession of Sohan Lal, a resident of Phoolpur village in Paonta Sahib tehsil, near the Yamuna toll barrier. He was arrested and sent to three days of police remand.
The third operation was conducted by the Detection Cell, Nahan, in Sangrah market, where Govind Thakur, a resident of Andheri village in Sangrah tehsil, was arrested after recovering 6.95 grams of heroin from his possession. The police said the accused was suspected of being involved in narcotics trafficking for a considerable period. He was remanded to five days of police custody.
The police said interrogation of all the accused was continuing to identify other individuals linked to the drug trafficking network in the region and trace the exact source of the contraband.
