The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Chandigarh Police has busted an inter-state narco syndicate operating between Himachal Pradesh and the tricity, recovering 742 grams of charas worth ₹2.22 lakh from five accused, including three contractual employees working in the Punjab Secretariat.
According to police, on the intervening night of September 7–8, police team received a tip-off that a car was heading to Chandigarh from Himachal with a consignment of narcotics. At around 3.15 am, the car was intercepted at the New Barricade Chowk, where the police apprehended four men.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 597 grams of charas. Based on Gaurav Kumar’s disclosure, the police later apprehended Kulwant Singh (35), a farmer from Mathla village, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, on September 9 from Parwanoo, recovering 145 grams of charas from him.
Gaurav Kumar, 35, a resident of Sector 7-B is employed as a water carrier in Punjab Secretariat. He confessed to being a consumer himself and had been procuring drugs from Kulwant Singh to sell them in the tricity for profit. Abhishek, Ajay, and Amit Kumar, all employed as sweepers in Punjab Secretariat, were similarly involved in both consumption and peddling of charas.
Kulwant Singh, a farmer, was found to be cultivating apples along with charas in his orchard in Himachal Pradesh and supplying it regularly to peddlers in Chandigarh and surrounding areas.
{{/usCountry}}Kulwant Singh, a farmer, was found to be cultivating apples along with charas in his orchard in Himachal Pradesh and supplying it regularly to peddlers in Chandigarh and surrounding areas.
{{/usCountry}}The group’s modus operandi was to purchase charas from Himachal Pradesh at low rates and then sell it at higher prices in Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula. The accused, who were also regular users, ran the racket in parallel with their employment at the secretariat, taking advantage of their low-profile jobs to avoid suspicion.