Shimla May 20
Shimla Police, under its ongoing special campaign against drug trafficking, has arrested two key suppliers from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab in separate cases by establishing backward linkages in narcotics investigations, officials said on Tuesday.
Police officials said the action marks a shift in strategy from targeting only street-level peddlers to identifying and arresting main suppliers involved in the drug supply chain.
In a case registered at Police Station Rohru under FIR No. 37/26, police had earlier arrested Siddhant Khagta of New Seri Rohru in Shimla district and Gaurav Kumar of Diara Sector 1 in Bilaspur district. The accused were found in possession of 190 Nitrazepam tablets (Nitrosun 10), packed in 19 strips.
Additional Superintendent of Police Headquarters Abhishek Dhiman said that during further investigation, digital evidence, including WhatsApp chats, call detail records, and financial transactions, was analyzed. The probe revealed that the consignment of banned tablets was sourced from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and sent by courier.
Following backward linkage, Shimla Police arrested the main accused, Ahmar Brijas, from Lucknow on May 17, 2026. He is also alleged to be running a chemist shop and supplying restricted drugs without valid prescriptions. Action under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act has also been initiated.
In a separate case registered at Police Station Sadar Shimla under FIR No. 49/2026, police had earlier recovered about 10.300 grams of heroin from Punjab residents Nishan Singh and Gurpreet Singh.
Further investigation led to the identification of the main supplier as Aakashdeep alias Aakash, a resident of Firozpur in Punjab. Acting on this information, Shimla Police, in coordination with Punjab Police, arrested him from Jalalabad in Fazilka district on May 19, 2026.
Police said further investigation is underway to trace the wider network and establish additional links in the drug supply chain.
