Drugs Crackdown: Ex-Punjab Minister's Son, Punjab Police Constable Among 5 Booked For 'Heroin Possession'

Shimla Police recovered 42.89 grams of heroin and a weighing machine from the possession of the five accused.

Five people, including the son of ex-Punjab minister Sucha Singh, were arrested on Tuesday night by a Special Investigation Team of Shimla Police. They were found possessing 42.89 grams of heroin and a weighing machine when they were arrested by the police in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla. Apart from the former minister's son, a Punjab police constable named Ajay was also among the ones apprehended by the police team.

The arrested accused have been identified as Ajay Kumar (27), Shubham Kaushal (26), and Balbinder (22), all from Punjab, and Abni (19) of Kinnaur district.

Following the arrest, a case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and further probe into the matter is underway. Prakash Singh, son of the former Punjab minister was arrested earlier for possessing and consuming heroin in Punjab's Gurdaspur, a report by news agency PTI stated.

In another similar case, six others were arrested in Shimla on Saturday in connection with an interstate drug trade. 

The development occurred following the arrest of accused Prikshit Dhani, a resident of Kothai after 12 grams of heroin was recovered from his possession. Thereafter an investigation of the backward and forward linkages was conducted, leading the police to the six accused, PTI reported.

The six accused were identified as Paras Justa (27), Abhay Chauhan (26), Aditya Chauhan (25), Ashutosh Sanolta (24), and Vishva Raj Singh (32)  — all residents of Kotkhai in Shimla district. A supplier named Sahil Kumar (26), a resident of Chandigarh, was also arrested by the police.

The arrest was confirmed by Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi who further stated that the investigation into the matter was underway.

A case under Section 29 (abetment and criminal conspiracy) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered against the accused, Gandhi stated.

“The accused were involved in a wide drug racket in Kotkhai, ” PTI quoted him as saying.