In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, police have arrested nine associates of the Sonu Gang, an interstate drug syndicate operating in the upper regions of Shimla district. The accused were reportedly involved in the illegal trade of chitta (heroin) in the Rampur region.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Adital Rathore (35) from Paljara village in Rampur Tehsil, Gagan (31) from Rampur Bushahr, Naveen Chauhan (26) from Kalmog village in Nankhari Tehsil, Rajan Mehta (33) from Lailan village in Nankhari, Mohit Agarwal (32) from Rampur Bushahr, Ujjwal Pandit (30) from Rampur Bushahr, Sanjeev Kumar (30) from Lalsa village in Rampur, Kushal Chauhan (21) from Karali in Rampur, and Rajkumar (31) from Matreved village in Rampur.
Confirming the arrests, Rampur Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Naresh Sharma stated that a case has been registered against the accused under the NDPS Act, and further investigation is underway. He also revealed that police have identified 60 to 70 more individuals involved in the purchase and sale of heroin, who are now being questioned as part of the probe.
The arrests follow an earlier police operation on March 3, when a team busted the Sonu Gang and apprehended its kingpin, Sohan Lal alias Sonu (25), a resident of Saloh village in Mandi district, along with Geeta Shreshth (25), also from Mandi. The two were caught with 26.68 gm of chitta near Nerath in Shimla district. Along with the drugs, police seized their mobile phones, jewellery, and valuables worth approximately Rs 4.5 lakh. Cases under the NDPS Act were registered against both accused.
During the investigation, authorities uncovered the gang’s extensive involvement in drug trafficking and financial irregularities. Police found that nearly Rs 88 lakh had been transferred through their bank accounts, indicating the scale of the operation. The total value of assets seized from the two accused so far stands at Rs 9,22,537, including Rs 4.72 lakh that was frozen in their bank accounts.
Following financial and operational leads, police identified the nine recently arrested suspects, who were detained from various locations in the Rampur region. Authorities continue to expand their probe, aiming to dismantle the entire network linked to the Sonu Gang’s narcotics trade.
