Major drug smuggler linked to Pakistan arrested in Shimla
In a significant breakthrough, Shimla district police and Anti Narcotics Task Force have arrested a notorious drug smuggler with links to Pakistan. The accused has been identified as Shahi Mahatma, who has been the hub of the chitta smuggling network that has spread from Pakistan to Himachal Pradesh.
Shimla, September 21: In a significant breakthrough, Shimla district police and Anti Narcotics Task Force have arrested a notorious drug smuggler with links to Pakistan. The accused has been identified as Shahi Mahatma, who has been the hub of the chitta smuggling network that has spread from Pakistan to Himachal Pradesh. His arrest comes as part of a coordinated effort to dismantle the growing cross-border drug smuggling gang that has plagued the region.
Shahi Mahatma, also known as Shashi Mahatma or Shashi Negi, is a resident of Bijauri Rantari village in Rohru in Shimla district. He has been smuggling chitta from Pakistan to Shimla via Jammu and Kashmir for a long time. His network used to distribute drugs across the region mainly using local drug addicts and unemployed youth. Police had been tracking his activities for several weeks and arrested him after investigations found his deep involvement in the trade.
Accomplice’s arrest leads to kingpin
Mahatma’s arrest comes after the arrest of his accomplice Muddasir Ahmad, who was caught with 468 grams of chitta in Kotkhai earlier this week. Ahmad, a resident of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir, was ferrying the chitta to Rohru on Mahatma’s instructions. When police stopped Ahmad’s taxi and searched it, they initially found nothing, but a thorough search found chitta hidden near his private parts.
The consignment seized from Ahmad is worth around Rs 18 lakh, making it the second-largest drug seizure in the state after a 1,100-gram chitta consignment in Nurpur. The drugs were being smuggled in from Pakistan, where Mahatma is believed to have established direct links with smugglers during his long stay in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
Infiltration of drug network from across the border
The police believe that Mahatma was staying in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir for a long time, where he got deeply involved in the chitta smuggling network. During his stay there, the accused allegedly linked up with smugglers across the border and helped smuggle chitta from Pakistan to India. Living in these border areas he became a key player in the smuggling operations, and used his knowledge and contacts to smuggle the drugs from Pakistan to Himachal Pradesh.
Long-running smuggling network
The police also believe that Mahatma has been operating this drug network for several years, with a special focus on smuggling chitta from across the border to Himachal Pradesh. His arrest is being seen as a major victory for the police, who have been struggling to curb drug trafficking in the region. Nine people arrested earlier in five separate cases of chitta smuggling in the district are also suspected to be part of Mahatma’s syndicate.
Mahatma’s modus operandi involved hiring vulnerable individuals such as drug addicts and unemployed youths as couriers who would transport the drugs through difficult-to-trace routes. His network extended from Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir and eventually to Shimla, a region that has seen a worrying rise in drug-related incidents in recent years.
Investigation and future course of action
Mahatma’s arrest is a major turning point in police efforts to dismantle this drug syndicate. Officers are now focusing on uncovering the full extent of Mahatma’s operations and identifying other members of his network. Police and the Anti Narcotics Task Force believe that further investigation will lead to more information about the routes and methods used to smuggle chitta into Himachal Pradesh, as well as additional arrests of key players in the network.
Police have expressed concern over the increasing infiltration of drugs into the state from across the border, and Mahatma’s arrest is seen as a significant step in curbing this trend. While investigations into his activities continue, police are determined to crack down on the chitta trade and save the youth of Himachal Pradesh from drug addiction. This case highlights the issue of growing drug trafficking across the border and the need for constant vigilance in the fight against drugs.
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