Palampur police have arrested five accused, including a youth and a woman from Punjab, in a crackdown on drug smuggling. The police recovered 7.63 grams of chitta from the duo, who were staying in a local hotel. Three others, including a local resident and two youths from Baijnath, were also taken into custody.
Acting on a tip-off, the police raided the hotel and found the youth and woman in possession of the narcotic. The accused have been identified as Pushpinder (28) and Amandeep Kaur (27), both residents of Muktsar, Punjab. Following their interrogation, Aryan, Vineet Kumar, and Anmol were also arrested in connection with the case.
DSP Palampur Bhupendra Singh Thakur confirmed the arrests and stated that the investigation is ongoing. He assured that the police are committed to cracking down on drug peddlers and will take strict action against those involved in the trade.
Key Supplier Tracked to Punjab and Arrested
In a related development, police have arrested the main supplier of chitta, who had been operating across multiple states. The accused, Vijay Soni, a resident of Sirsa, Haryana, was traced to Sector-9, Kharar (Punjab), through cyber surveillance and arrested on February 7.
The breakthrough came after two youths were caught with chitta near the Sanwara toll plaza in Dharampur on November 3. Another accused was arrested on November 8 in the same case. During questioning, the arrested individuals revealed that Vijay Soni was their supplier.
Police revealed that Vijay Soni had connections with hundreds of youths in Himachal Pradesh, raising concerns about the increasing reach of drug networks in the state. Police officials stated that efforts are underway to identify more individuals linked to this drug racket and dismantle the supply chain.
