Himachal: Kangra Police arrests notorious drug peddler, associate

Dharamsala (HP), Dec 7 (PTI) Two drug peddlers, including one of the most notorious drug dealers in the region, who is already implicated in eight cases of NDPS, were arrested, Kangra police said on Saturday.

Kangra Superintendent of Police Shalini Agnihotri said Brijesh Kumar alias Mamu was arrested with 11.96 grams of heroin from his possession.

Rahul alias Roli, a drug addict and supplier of heroin in Kangra and Nagrota Bagwan was also apprehended. Rahul has three cases of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) registered against him, she said.

The duo was arrested from a secluded area near Seb Karaan, close to the IPH guest house in Kangra on Friday, Agnihotri said.

According to the SP, they were found injecting heroin directly via syringes, a practice that had left their hands visibly swollen.

Police revealed that Kumar targeted students and had strong ties with Pawan and Jitender Behel, two drug peddlers from Nagrota Bagwan. The arrests of Kumar and Rahul mark a decisive blow to the drug syndicate operating in the area.

Kangra Police reiterated their zero-tolerance approach to combating drug trafficking, emphasizing that these arrests signify just the beginning of intensified efforts.

"With these arrests, the syndicate of Pawan, Mamu, and Behel has been dismantled and now the focus is on seizing and dismantling the illegally acquired properties of these smugglers," the officer said. PTI COR BPL OZ OZ