WhatsApp Chitta racket: How police nabbed 'kingpin' apple trader in Shimla

The delivery person and the buyer never met each other throughout the trade. In fact, people involved in the network acted like totally unrelated individuals.

Published on: Sep 29, 2024, 07:20:30 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Shimla police on September 20 arrested a person named Shahi Mahatma (Shashi Negi), an apple trader, for running a sophisticated WhatsApp ‘Chitta’ (heroin) cartel in the hills.

Shimla, Sept 26 (ANI): Vendors show their identity card as State Government issues a directive making it mandatory for shop owners and street vendors to display their identification details, in Shimla on Thursday. (ANI Photo) (Representative image) (ANI Pic Service)

The police said that that the delivery person and the final receiver never met each other throughout the trade. In fact, people involved in the network acted like totally unrelated individuals, and Negi ensured that the dots could not be connected to dodge the authorities, reported PTI.

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The apple trader was the only common link between the demand and supply chain of 'chitta'. He, along with 40 of his associated, allegedly supplied drugs in Rohru, Jubbal-Kotkhai and Theog areas of Upper Shimla under the garb of apple business. The gang also had drug dealings with gangs from New Delhi, Haryana and Nigeria in Africa. He was also allegedly connected with key drug suppliers from Kashmir, the police said.

Negi continued to run the cartel for five to six years in Shimla but ran out of luck on September 20 after police seized 465 grams of 'Chitta' from Kharapathar, their biggest seizure in the hills so far in 2024. The police have also arrested 25 associates of this gang.

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SP Shimla Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi: "Links of the accused Mudasir Ahmed Mochi, a resident of Bhatpura village in Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir (who was arrested on September 19) were established with Shahi Mahatma alias Shashi Negi and the kingpin was arrested".

Explaining the gang's modus operandi, the official said Negi made sure that the drug changed at least four hands before the final delivery to the customer. “He had hired different sets of unrelated people for bringing demand, supplying drugs and receiving payments. He himself never used to come in direct contact with any of the partners,” the SP added.

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The demand for drugs was made through WhatsApp and Negi hired totally unrelated gang of individuals to ensure final delivery to his customer. Once the demand is made, Negi would verify the identity of the drug user and use another team to supply the drugs.

To ensure contactless delivery and ensure anonymity, the delivery person would keep the drug at an isolated place and a share a video to the buyer who would pick it up from there, the police explained.

The money for the purchase would reach Dhan Laxmi accounts in Solan after travelling through various bank accounts. The police have unearthed fund flow of ₹2.5-3 crores in these bank accounts.

To bust the network, the police used a “socially integrated intelligence network system”, which involved local residents as informers.

Before the arrest of Negi, the police had registered five FIRs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against nine persons who were part of the drug racket.

(With inputs from PTI)

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