Out on bail, habitual offender held in Kangra

A habitual drug trafficker, who resumed narcotics smuggling after securing bail, has been detained under the stringent Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, 1988.

The accused, identified as Shubhkaran, a resident of Palampur, is known in criminal circles as “Shivu”. He has been lodged in the Dharamsala jail under preventive detention. Police officials said that the detention was not routine but aimed at curbing the activities of habitual offenders.

According to police records, the accused is a notorious drug trafficker and a repeat offender. The Kangra police considered his continuous involvement in narcotics trafficking and opted for a stricter legal course. On January 23, the competent authority had issued orders to keep him in three-month preventive detention under the PIT-NDPS Act, which did not allow bail during the detention period.

Upon learning about the detention orders, Shivu went into hiding to evade arrest.

To trace and apprehend the accused, the Palampur police constituted a special cell. After sustained surveillance and multiple raids in different areas of the district, the police arrested him on February 3 from the Sidhwari area near Dharamsala.