As many as nine associates of ‘Sonu gang’, an inter-state drug-trafficking syndicate operating in the upper regions of Shimla district, have been arrested, police said here on Saturday.
The accused have been identified as Adital Rathore (35), a resident of Paljara village in Rampur tehsil, Shimla; Gagan (31), a resident of Rampur Bushahr; Naveen Chauhan (26), a resident of Kalmog village in Nankhari tehsil, Shimla; Rajan Mehta (33), a resident of Lailan village in Nankhari, Shimla; Mohit Agarwal (32), a resident of Rampur Bushahr; Ujjwal Pandit (30), a resident of Rampur Bushahr; Sanjeev Kumar (30), a resident of Lalsa village in Rampur; Kushal Chauhan (21), a resident of Karali in Rampur; and Rajkumar (31), a resident of Matreved village in Rampur. According to police, the accused were actively involved in buying and selling of ‘chitta’ in the Rampur region.
A case under relevant Acts of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused and further investigation is going on, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rampur Naresh Sharma said. Police have identified 60 to 70 individuals involved in the purchase and sale of heroin, and they are being questioned as part of the probe, he said.
On March 3, a police team had busted an inter-state drug-trafficking gang, named ‘Sonu Gang’, as it arrested its kingpin named Sohan Lal, alias Sonu (25), a resident of Saloh village in Mandi district, along with a woman who was identified as Geeta Shreshth (25), also a resident of Mandi district, with 26.68 grams of ‘chitta’ from Nerath in Shimla district. Police also seized their mobile phones, jewellry, and valuables worth Rs 4.5 lakh. An investigation was also initiated by the police along with registering cases under NDPS Act against the two accused.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the gang was involved in the illegal trade of ‘chitta’ (heroin) and narcotics. Furthermore, an investigation into their financial transactions revealed that around Rs 88 lakh was transferred through their bank accounts. The total value of assets seized from the two accused has reached Rs 9,22,537, which includes Rs 4.72 lakh from their bank accounts that were frozen. The investigation led to the identification of the nine suspects who have been arrested by the police from various locations.
