Shimla: In a major crackdown on the supply of ‘chitta’ (heroin) in Himachal Pradesh, the Shimla Police have arrested two alleged key drug suppliers from Punjab in separate cases by tracing backward linkages of the narcotics supply network. One of the accused, identified as Balbir Singh alias ‘Fauji’, was reportedly preparing to flee to Nepal to evade arrest, while the other, Gurpreet Singh alias ‘Gora’ or ‘Gopi’, was arrested from Ludhiana.
ASP Shimla Mehar Panwar shared details of the arrests during a press conference on Saturday, stating that both accused were traced through investigations into the supply chains of drugs seized in separate operations.
In the first case, the Special Cell of Shimla Police intercepted a taxi at the Shoghi barrier on October 27 following a tip-off. During the search, the police recovered approximately 257 grams of heroin, commonly known as ‘chitta’, from a passenger identified as Resham Singh (34), a resident of Amritsar.
During the subsequent investigation, the police established that the seized consignment was intended for Balbir Singh alias ‘Fauji’, a resident of the Nankhari area. Following this revelation, a special police team was constituted to trace and apprehend the alleged supplier.
According to the police, Balbir had been evading arrest by deactivating his old mobile numbers and frequently changing his hideouts. Despite conducting raids at several locations in the Nankhari area, the police initially failed to trace him. However, after receiving information about his presence in Amritsar, a police team arrested him on November 5.
The police said the 52-year-old accused was allegedly planning to escape to Nepal to avoid arrest. He is already facing six criminal cases, including four under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and two under the Excise Act.
His previous criminal record includes the recovery of 380 grams of charas and 29.37 grams of opium in a case registered at Nankhari police station in 2019. In a separate case registered at Kotkhai police station in 2023, 107.93 grams of heroin were seized from him. Additionally, 150.05 grams of opium and 41.810 grams of heroin were recovered in two separate cases registered at West Shimla police station. Two other cases under the Excise Act were registered at Kumarsain police station in 2020.
In the second case, the investigation began after the Theog subdivision’s Detection Cell recovered approximately 50 grams of heroin from three accused persons—Rupesh, Shivam Verma and Lalu Kumar alias Krishna—at Gumma on September 27.
During the investigation, the police traced the supply chain and found that the three accused had allegedly purchased the contraband from Gurpreet Singh alias ‘Gora’ or ‘Gopi’, a 35-year-old resident of Ludhiana, Punjab, before bringing it to Himachal Pradesh for sale.
Following the identification of the alleged supplier, the police launched a search operation and arrested Gurpreet Singh from Ludhiana on November 5.
According to the police, Gurpreet is also facing three criminal cases in Punjab. These include a kidnapping-related case registered in 2013 and two cases under the NDPS Act, registered in 2022 and 2026. In the 2022 case, 2 kg and 415 grams of heroin were recovered, while another 230 grams of heroin were seized in the 2026 case.
ASP Mehar Panwar said that tracing backward linkages had helped the police reach the alleged main suppliers operating from outside Himachal Pradesh. The arrests are being viewed as a significant step towards dismantling inter-state drug supply networks responsible for bringing heroin into the state.
