Solan police tighten noose around repeat drug offenders with preventive arrests

In a decisive move to tighten the noose around habitual offenders involved in the drug trade, the Solan police have launched a preventive action initiative, targeting repeat offenders through arrests.

Elaborating on the initiative, Solan SP Gaurav Singh stated that several notorious drug traffickers continue to secure bail despite repeated involvement in narcotics-related cases.

“To prevent these criminals from resuming their illegal activities, the Solan police, in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988, had sent a proposal to the state government to place 15 such habitual offenders under preventive detention,” said the SP.

Acting on the directions received from the state government, the Sadar Police Station team recently arrested Sachin Thakur, a resident of Shilli village in Solan. “Thakur, who was previously out on bail in NDPS Act cases, was consistently involved in drug-related activities during his release. He has now been taken into preventive custody under Section 3(1) of the PIT NDPS Act, 1988, and incarcerated for three months,” said the police official.

Earlier, the Solan police had similarly arrested two other notorious drug peddlers — Hitender Kumar, alias Rinku (40), from Kyar village in Arki and Neeraj Sharma (38), originally from Maolg Jhagli in Tara Devi tehsil, Shimla and currently residing in Rawali, Waknaghat. Both have also been placed under preventive detention. The district police will continue this drive to curb drug trafficking by habitual offenders, the SP added.

Notably, Solan district is among the 272 districts across India identified as severely affected by drug abuse. Under the Centre’s Nasha Mukt Bharat campaign, initiated in 2020-21, efforts are underway to tackle the drug menace. In addition to raising awareness among youth, the Solan police are actively targeting inter-state drug networks, which exploit the district’s proximity to state borders and its numerous educational institutions to expand their illicit trade.