Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh Police carried out a statewide special inspection drive of courier service providers under the “Anti-Chitta Jan Andolan” to prevent the misuse of courier networks for drug trafficking and strengthen the campaign for a chitta-free Himachal.
A police spokesperson said that the drive was conducted as part of sustained enforcement under the “Chitta-Mukt Himachal” initiative. Warehouses and godowns of courier service providers operating across the state were comprehensively inspected and audited.
During the drive, a total of 433 courier service providers were inspected. These included 43 in Solan district, 40 in Baddi, 31 in Sirmaur, 13 in Kinnaur, 69 in Mandi, 34 in Kullu, one in Lahaul-Spiti, 37 in Hamirpur, 23 in Bilaspur, 69 in Kangra, 17 in Nurpur, 18 in Dehra, 22 in Chamba and 16 in Una district.
Police teams examined the entire operational chain of courier services, including parcel booking, storage, transit and final delivery. Special focus was laid on checking CCTV surveillance systems, verification of employee identities, maintenance of records and compliance with prescribed Standard Operating Procedures. Suspicious parcels were thoroughly checked during the inspections.
The spokesperson said that employees of courier service providers were sensitised about the provisions of the NDPS Act and other relevant laws. They were also briefed on identifying suspicious consignments and the legal responsibilities of courier companies in preventing the movement of narcotics.
Wherever procedural shortcomings were noticed, necessary directions were issued to the concerned service providers with instructions to undertake corrective measures within a stipulated time. All courier companies were also informed about potential red flags and clearly guided on the dos and don’ts to ensure that courier services are not misused for drug trafficking.
Police officials said such inspection drives will continue in the coming days as part of coordinated efforts to curb drug abuse and dismantle trafficking networks in the state.
