10 more associates of Shah syndicate held
In a significant crackdown against the illicit drug trade, police has arrested 10 more associates of Shah syndicate, an interstate drug syndicate that was active in the northern regions of the country, including Himachal Pradesh, for the past few years.
The accused have been identified as Aman Shobhta (32)of Changa Bagh village in Kotkhai; Kapil Chandel (25) of Karyal village in Theog; Ayan Chauhan (25) of Kyari village in Kotkhai; Nikhil Sain (29) of Hawani village in Theog; Rajat Karaik (29) of Jimu village in Narkanda; Sushil Verma (32) of Sharmala village in Theog; Manuj Thakur (34) of Chalonthi in Shimla; Sushil Sharma (38) of Ghat Paren village in Theog; Anshul Rana (40) of Shilaru in Theog; and Rajat Thakur (30) of Chamiana village in Shimla.
Shimla Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said further investigation was underway. He said so far, 26 members of the syndicate, including the kingpin, Sandeep Shah, has been arrested by the police and more associates would be arrested soon. The SP said the syndicate was working in an organised supply chain operations under which a significant supply chain has been operating with the aid of online bookings through various social media platforms.
“Investigations uncovered substantial financial activity, revealing transactions exceeding Rs 1.2 crore in the accounts of Sandeep Shah and his associate Neeraj Kashyap, with additional accounts yet to be explored that could potentially involve crores more,” he said.
“Numerous UPI transactions have been traced from Shimla-based peddlers to the accounts of Shah and Kashyap,” he added.