317 drug peddlers held in Shimla; police spread net for addicts turning into dealers

Shimla, Apr 29 (PTI) With the arrest of 317 drug peddlers in 219 NDPS cases here in the last four months, police here are now making efforts to identify drug users who are turning into dealers to cover the cost of their addiction.

Shimla witnessed an increase of over 62 per cent in NDPS cases and arrests as compared to the same period last year. About 90 per cent of the NDPS cases registered were of Chitta (adulterated heroin) trafficking.

“As many as 317 persons including 10 women and 72 peddlers from outside the state have been arrested in 219 cases from January 1 to April 28 in comparison to 116 arrests in 93 cases in the same period last year which constitutes over 30 per cent of the total cases and arrest in the state,” SP Shimla Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI.

A data bank of about 300 drug traffickers has been prepared in the district and they have been put under surveillance, he said.

Mobile phones of these people were scanned to identify online transactions which came in handy as proof and arrests were also made through backward and forward linkages, he added.

To reduce the availability of chitta, police identified the worst affected areas including Rohru, Rampur, Theog, and Chaila besides New Shimla, Bhatakuffar, Krishna Nagar, Sanjauli, Dhalli, Malyana and Vikas Nagar in Shimla town and cracked down on drug suppliers.

In order to break the chain and reduce new victims, the police here will now focus on drug users and book them under section 27 of the NDPS Act, a police official said.

The drug users would be held and sent to rehabs and de-addiction centres, the official said, adding that they will also be issued warning and counselled.

According to section 27 of the NDPS Act, the accused could get up to one year of imprisonment and be slapped with a fine of Rs 20,000 for consuming narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances.

“I opted for a de-addiction centre as chitta was not available here due to increased police surveillance. The price of chitta had also increased significantly making it unaffordable,” said an addict who was recently admitted to a rehabilitation centre.

Chitta is being sold for Rs 4,000-5,000 per gram. Its users take multiple drugs. They drink and consume dope, opium and cannabis besides taking chemicals and adulterated heroin, said Vikram Kuthiala, who runs a rehab.

Chitta (Diacetylmorphine), a semi-synthetic opioid which is mainly derived from heroin, is highly dangerous and lethal as the consumption increases with the passage of time and its overdose could even result in death, said former Director of State Forensic Science Laboratory Arun Sharma.

On average, over 1,500 NDPS cases are registered in Himachal Pradesh every year and more than 2,000 are arrested.