Interstate drug suppliers held in Shimla police crackdown

Two key interstate drug suppliers operating across Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh have been arrested by the Shimla police in a major crackdown on drug trafficking networks. The accused were identified as Shiv Shankar, a resident of Bilari in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh, and Gurmeet, alias Billa, a resident of Faridkot in Punjab. Shiv Shankar was arrested from Chandigarh, while Gurmeet was nabbed from Ludhiana.

Shimla SP Gaurav Singh said the arrests were made during investigations into two separate heroin trafficking cases registered earlier this year.

The first case dates back to March 20, 2026, when police arrested five Haryana residents — Anjeet, Irfan, Ravikant, Mukesh and Narendra — from the Boileauganj area with 93.97 grams of chitta (heroin). A case under the NDPS Act was registered and the accused were taken into police remand for interrogation.

During the investigation, police analysed digital evidence and traced backward linkages in the supply chain. Investigators found that the accused had procured heroin from Gurmeet, who allegedly communicated with them through a virtual number. A police team was subsequently sent to Punjab, leading to his arrest.

In another case registered on April 12, 2026, police arrested Kuldeep Verma from Theog with 8.34 grams of heroin. During questioning, police found that the contraband had allegedly been supplied by Shiv Shankar. Acting on the leads, a police team arrested him from Chandigarh.

Police said further investigations are underway to identify more people linked to the interstate trafficking networks.