Drug suspect dies after 'swallowing' heroin as Baddi police intercept vehicle; 3 aides arrested

A suspected drug trafficker died after allegedly swallowing heroin upon being confronted by the Baddi police, while three of his accomplices were arrested with 9.02 grams of heroin by the Special Cell-X team of the Baddi Police on Thursday evening.

The Special Cell had received a tip-off about a large consignment of heroin being transported in a vehicle bound for Barotiwala.

Acting on the information, the team set up a naka near the toll barrier at Barotiwala, where they noticed a suspicious vehicle entering Himachal Pradesh from Haryana.

The police signalled the vehicle to stop, but the driver allegedly breached the checkpoint, struck police personnel stationed there and sped towards Barotiwala Chowk in the wrong direction. In an attempt to escape, the car rammed into a truck coming from the opposite direction about 15-20 metres ahead of the barrier.

The Special Cell-X team, which was chasing the vehicle, reached the spot and confronted the driver, who was allegedly attempting to flee with the heroin. In a desperate bid to evade legal action, he allegedly swallowed a portion of the drug from a plastic carry bag in his possession, while the remaining quantity fell on the ground. His condition deteriorated soon after, prompting the police to rush him to the Civil Hospital in Baddi, where doctors declared him dead.

Three other occupants of the vehicle — Vikram Singh, Gaurav Kumar and Ashish, all residents of Barotiwala village — were arrested.

The deceased was identified as Vikram Thakur, a resident of Goyala Pannar village in Nalagarh.

Considering the seriousness of the case, a team of forensic experts inspected the vehicle and recovered 9.02 grams of heroin, a Rs 20 half-burnt note allegedly used as a straw for consuming drugs, four small heroin packets wrapped in aluminium foil, a mini mobile phone, two keypad mobile phones, two Vivo smartphones, an electronic weighing machine, and a dagger, said Baddi SP Vinod Dhiman.

The police also recovered two rolls of aluminium foil and pieces of used aluminium foil, which are commonly used for packing or consuming drugs. Officials alleged that the occupants of the vehicle had consumed heroin.

A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the NDPS Act at Barotiwala police station. The three accused have been arrested.

Meanwhile, the family of Vikram Thakur alleged that he died due to police brutality after being intercepted near the Barotiwala toll barrier. They demanded legal action against the policemen allegedly involved in assaulting him.

The family initially opposed the post-mortem examination but later agreed after the police assured them that their allegations would be investigated.

SP Dhiman said the police were also probing the backward and forward linkages of the drug network.