Shimla police nab key heroin supplier near Nepal border
Continuing its intensified crackdown on the drug mafia, Shimla police have arrested a key heroin supplier near the India-Nepal border, who was allegedly supplying contraband in several parts of Shimla district.
The accused has been identified as Vijender Singh alias Chottu (35), a resident of Sundha Bhonda village in Chirgaon. Police said he was operating as a major distributor of heroin (chitta) in the Rohru and Chirgaon regions and used to procure the contraband from Punjab, running a well-organised supply network.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Additional Superintendent of Police Abhishek said on February 2, district police had arrested two Punjab residents — Jashandeep Singh and Dharampreet Singh — from Mehandli in Rohru with 83 grams of heroin. Following the seizure, police analysed their bank accounts and digital evidence to trace the supply chain.
“During the investigation, three more associates — Ashish Chauhan (24), Naveen Shitta (31) and Diwan Chand (39), all residents of the Chirgaon region — were arrested,” he said.
The ASP said further interrogation revealed that Jashandeep was supplying heroin in various parts of Shimla district, including Rohru and Chirgaon, where Vijender was working as a major distributor. “Jashandeep disclosed that Vijender used to purchase heroin from him and sell it through multiple conduits. Vijender is a habitual offender, with three cases already registered against him under the NDPS Act in 2018, 2019 and 2022,” Abhishek added.
To evade arrest, Vijender had absconded to Nepal. A manhunt was launched on February 13, following which a team from Rohru Police Station, with assistance from Uttarakhand and Nepal police, arrested him from Banbasa in Uttarakhand, near the India-Nepal border, within 48 hours.
The ASP said six persons involved in the network had been arrested so far and further investigation was underway. He added that this year alone, Shimla district police have arrested 94 accused in 48 cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
