Notorious peddler Cobra in police net

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, March 24

The state Home Secretary on Saturday issued a detention order against alleged drug peddler Neeraj Kumar, alias Cobra, of Golwan village in Fatehpur subdivision under the Nurpur police district. As per information, the Home Secretary-cum-Detention Authority, Shimla, issued the detention order under Section 3(1) of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act, 1988.

Under this order, the police can put repeat offenders under three-month detention, which can further be extended to one year. Authorities can also seize properties amassed by them through drug trafficking.

Previously, financial investigation could be conducted against those drug peddlers from whom commercial quantities (250 gm heroin/ chitta, 1 kg charas) of narcotics were recovered. Now, however, the enforcement of Section 3(1) of the NDPS Act has paved way for financial investigation of all habitual peddlers, irrespective of the quantity of drugs being seized from them.

Nurpur SP Ashok Ratan said, “He was arrested with 50.46-gm heroin (chitta) at Atahara on October 26, and with 38.40-gm chitta on April 19 last year. On March 23, 2021, he was been arrested with 112.89-gm charas (cannabis) by the police,” he said.

The proposal for obtaining a detention order against him was submitted on November 18 last year, he added.

Enquiries made by The Tribune revealed that all SPs across the state had been empowered to submit proposals of habitual offenders in drug trafficking cases to the three-member Advisory Committee headed by Justice Sandeep Sharma of the state High Court.

This is the second detention order obtained by the Nurpur police.