In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, Himachal Pradesh Police arrested two women involved in smuggling of chitta (adulterated heroin), while they were attempting to flee to Canada from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi,, police said on Tuesday.
The arrests follow a probe initiated after three youths were caught with narcotics in Dharamsala earlier this year, Superintendent of Police (SP) Kangra Shalini Agnihotri said.
On the night of January 21, 2025, a police team, acting on a tip-off intercepted a vehicle in Dharamsala during a routine patrol, the officer said.
A search led to the recovery of 30 grams of ‘chitta’ from the vehicle’s occupants — Shashank Bisht of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, and Ayush and Savatang Shahi from Dharamsala, he said.
A case was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at the Dharamsala Police Station, he added.
During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they had procured the drugs from two women from Punjab, identified as Kulwant Kaur and Germanpreet Kaur.
Further investigations revealed financial transactions amounting to around Rs 4.50 lakh through UPI payments to the bank accounts of the women, linking them to the drug trade, Agnihotri said.
Technical analysis of mobile phone data indicated their last known location near Delhi Airport. A special police team was sent to Delhi on February 28, leading to the arrest of the duo inside the airport on March 3, he said.
The police team recovered their passports, confirming their plan to escape to Canada, the officer said.
The women are being interrogated to unravel the drug network and identify other associates. Authorities are also examining their financial records, properties, and bank accounts to track assets amassed through drug smuggling, the SP said.