Operation Clean Targets Drug Smuggling Networks in Shimla, Arrests Include Gang Leader

Shimla, December 26: In a significant crackdown under Operation Clean, Shimla Police have successfully dismantled another Chitta smuggling network. Three individuals, including the gang leader 50-year-old Balbir Singh, and his two associates 32-year-old Akhilesh Mehta and Sabin Mehta, all residents of Nankhari, were arrested on Thursday evening near the ISBT area under Boileuganj police station in Shimla. The police seized 41.810 grams of Chitta from their possession.

The arrested individuals were already under the police’s radar for their involvement in the drug trade, particularly operating in the Upper Nankhari area of Shimla. Gang leader Balbir Singh had previously been arrested in connection with a similar Chitta smuggling case. He, along with his associates, had been running a small-scale drug distribution network across various parts of Shimla district. Acting on specific intelligence, the police set up a trap in the ISBT area, successfully apprehending the accused.

SP Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, confirmed that a case had been registered under the NDPS Act, and the investigation is ongoing. The Shimla police are also looking into whether other members of the smuggling network are operating elsewhere or if more individuals are involved in the illicit trade. This recent bust adds to a series of successful operations by the Shimla Police, who previously dismantled the Shahi Mahatma and Radhe smuggling gangs.

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The authorities remain committed to combating the growing drug trade in the region, with Operation Clean continuing to target and disrupt smuggling operations.