Himachal Pradesh Police crackdown: 16 major Chitta traffickers held

Himachal Pradesh Police launched a coordinated crackdown, detaining 16 major Chitta traffickers under the PIT-NDPS Act. The total detentions have now reached 62, with illegal assets worth Rs 48 crore seized since the Act's enforcement.

The Himachal Pradesh Police on Sunday launched a synchronised and coordinated crackdown across multiple districts to crack the drug network in Himachal Pradesh, a release said. Under the provisions of the PIT-NDPS Act, 16 major Chitta traffickers have been detained. These detainees include four each from Solan and Dehra, two from Nurpur, three from Baddi, one each from Hamirpur, Mandi and Sirmaur district.

Crackdown by the Numbers

The total number of detentions under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in the State has risen to 62. Since the enforcement of this Act in 2023, 46 major drug traffickers have already been detained, and illegal assets worth Rs 48 crore have been seized through parallel financial investigations, as per the release.

High-Level Review and Call for Public Movement

Recently, during the 6th State-Level NCORD meeting held at Tapovan, Dharamshala, under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, an in-depth review of all ongoing anti-Chitta operations was conducted. The Chief Minister issued directions to transform this anti-drug campaign into a statewide people's movement. For the first time in Himachal Pradesh, the Chief Minister has personally chaired this State-level coordination forum.

Intensified Enforcement and 'Zero-Tolerance' Policy

The State has further intensified enforcement against narcotics in recent days. To eliminate Chitta from the grassroots level, the Police have appealed to citizens, especially the youth, to share any information related to drugs and drug trafficking on helpline number 112 or at the nearest Police Station. The identity of the informant will be kept strictly confidential, it added.

The State Government is pursuing a "zero-tolerance" policy against narcotics. As part of the awareness campaign against chitta, anti-Chitta Walkathons were organised on November 15 in Shimla and December 1 in Dharamshala under the leadership of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The Chief Minister issued strict directives to the police department and other concerned agencies to ensure the complete eradication of Chitta from the State. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)