Shimla, 05 September:Â A recent police investigation has unearthed a drug smuggling racket involving Delhi students who are allegedly smuggling chitta (a form of heroin) into Himachal Pradesh. Two youths arrested in Shimla on July 16 revealed during interrogation that chitta is being brought from the national capital Delhi and sold in the hill town, exposing a growing network of smugglers exploiting college students.
According to the police, the mastermind behind this operation is Sandeep Shah, a resident of Delhi, who has been running this racket in Shimla for several years. Shah recruits drug addicts and students from Delhi to smuggle and distribute chitta in Shimla with the help of local drug peddlers.
The two arrested men, Suraj and Rohit Pandey, were caught with 6.380 grams of chitta and a digital weighing machine during a police raid at a hotel near the old bus stand in Shimla. Suraj, a BSc first semester student in Delhi, and Rohit Pandey, currently unemployed, were found to be part of this growing network of drug smuggling.
How the operation works
During interrogation, the two revealed how they got involved in the illicit trade. Rohit Pandey was in touch with a man named Ravi, who introduced Suraj to the drug ring via WhatsApp. Lured by the promise of easy money, Suraj agreed to work for Sandeep Shah. Shah coordinated the deliveries by sending location details from where the drugs were to be picked up and sold in various parts of Shimla.
Police investigation further revealed that Sandeep Shah used Suraj and Rohit as couriers to pick up heroin and distribute it to various locations. Bank account scrutiny revealed several suspicious transactions linked to Rohit Pandey. Between January 1 and August 13, several deposits were made in his account, with seven transfers from Shah alone between July 23 and July 31. Money was also deposited from other unknown sources, raising further suspicion about the scale of the smuggling network.
Mastermind still absconding
The alleged mastermind Sandeep Shah is still absconding. The police are actively looking for him, suspecting that he managed the entire operation from Delhi while coordinating with his local contacts in Shimla. Accused Suraj and Rohit Pandey would send him pictures and videos of the drop locations as proof of delivery.
The police believe that Shah was responsible for handling all the financial transactions online, ensuring that his couriers only managed the drugs while he remained behind the scenes. His role in the racket has come under scrutiny, and the police are working to trace his activities.
Court grants bail to accused
Despite serious charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the district court on Wednesday granted conditional bail to Suraj, one of the arrested students. The court ruled that Suraj, a resident of Balgudar police station in Lakhisarai, Bihar and currently living in Neb Sarai, South Delhi, will be released on bail provided he attends all hearings and remains available for interrogation as and when required.
Suraj and Rohit Pandey were arrested by the Sadar police station team on August 14. Suraj has got bail, but the police are intensifying their efforts to nab Sandeep Shah and bust the large network of chitta smuggling spread in Shimla. The case has raised concerns over the increasing involvement of students in drug smuggling, who are lured by quick money and drugs.
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.
