Three held with 242 grams of 'chitta' in Shimla

Shimla, July 7 (PTI) Police have arrested three alleged drug peddlers with 242 grams of 'chitta' (adulterated heroin) near Shimla, officials said on Tuesday. The arrestees have been identified as key accused Inder Dev alias Danu, a resident of Sunni, Suraj Chauhan, originally from Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district and currently residing in Shimla, and Moti Sharma, a resident of New Shimla. Providing the information, Shimla Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Singh said the arrests were made on Monday after a special cell team of district police received inputs from reliable sources that several individuals were travelling with a significant amount of chitta near Shoghi. Based on the intelligence, police intercepted a vehicle and conducted a search, during which 242 grams of chitta was recovered. The three occupants of the car were arrested on the spot and the contraband was seized, the SSP said. A case has been registered in this connection under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at West Shimla police station, he added. The SSP further said Inder Dev, the main accused, is a habitual drug trafficker with more than 53 criminal cases registered against him, including nine under the NDPS Act. He said Dev had earlier been detained for three months under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act and was released from jail on June 21. Dev is an active member of a drug trafficking network operating in various regions of the district, the SSP said. "Police are now working to establish both backward and forward linkages of the network. Financial transactions and technical evidence are also being analysed to identify other persons connected with the racket," he added. PTI COR ARB ARB