Shimla, July 31: In a shocking revelation, police in Himachal Pradesh’s capital Shimla have arrested an ambulance driver after recovering hashish hidden in the emergency vehicle. This is the first known incident of drugs being found in an ambulance in the city, raising serious concerns about misuse of emergency service vehicles.
The arrest came during a routine vehicle check at a police checkpoint near Lalpani on Khalini-Tutikandi Road under the jurisdiction of Sadar police station. Late night, an ambulance going from ISBT to Khalini was stopped for document check. When the officers asked for documents from the driver, named Dushyant Kumar, they detected the distinctive smell of hashish. A thorough search of the vehicle was then conducted.
During the search, the police recovered about 1.55 grams of hashish hidden in various places within the ambulance, including the dashboard. The ambulance has been taken into custody, and a case has been registered against Kumar under several sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Kumar was produced in court on Tuesday.
According to police, the ambulance was operated by a local social organization and was normally used to transport patients to hospital within the city. The discovery has raised concerns about the possible use of emergency vehicles for drug trafficking. In response, authorities have announced that they will increase scrutiny of patient transport vehicles operated by social organizations.
SP Shimla expressed surprise at the incident, saying, “It is extremely worrying to find narcotics in a vehicle meant to save lives. We are committed to ensure that such misuse of emergency services is stopped immediately.”
As part of the ongoing investigation, the police aim to trace the source of the hashish and the intended destination of the consignment. The incident underlines the need for vigilance and stringent checking on all vehicles, including those carrying out critical healthcare functions, to prevent misuse of such services for illegal activities.
The arrest has also prompted local authorities to review the operations of social organisations running patient transport services. SP Shimla said, “We will conduct thorough checks and audits to ensure that all such vehicles are being used for their intended purposes and not for illegal activities.”
Get The Latest News Of Himachal First On Mobile, Click Here To Join Our WhatsApp Group
Continuing the achievement of the journey of effectiveness and credibility of more than 10 years in the career of journalism, as a woman journalist, I am Serving as the founder, promoter and editor of DiaryTimes with the trust and support of all. My credible coverage may not have given a big shape to the numbers, but my journey presents articles that make you aware of the exact and meaningful situations of Himachal’s politics, ground issues related to the public, business, tourism and the difficult geographical conditions of the state and financial awareness. DiaryTimes, full of the experience of my precise editorial expertise, is awakening the flame of credible journalism among all of you, so that the eternal flame of meaningful change can be lit in the life of the people of the state and the atrocities being committed against the people can be brought to the fore, I am motivated for that. If even a small change comes with the power of my journalism and the whole world becomes a witness to that issues, then I will consider myself fortunate.