Shimla Police seize illegal assets worth Rs 1.13 crore in crackdown on drug traffickers

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Shimla, May 27

The Shimla Police have intensified their crackdown against drug traffickers and seized illegal assets worth Rs 1.13 crore in multiple cases linked to narcotics smuggling, officials said on Tuesday. Sharing details, ASP Headquarters Abhishek said 134 cases have been registered under the NDPS Act in 2026 so far, with most involving intermediate and commercial quantities of narcotics. Thwe Police have arrested 286 accused in connection with these cases.

The ASP Headquarters said special police teams have also acted against backward linkages in the drug supply chain and arrested 42 accused from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, the Indo Nepal border region, Kerala and other states.

The Police said a major financial investigation in a case registered at Kumarsain Police Station led to the freezing of assets worth nearly Rs 53 lakh. On April 10, 2026, police recovered 9.028 kilograms of opium and Rs 12 lakh in cash from Nepal residents Ain Bahadur, Chakra Bahadur, and Mohan Shahi.

During further investigation, police recovered another 2.039 kilograms of opium from the Laxmi Tea Stall in Kandaghat. A woman identified as Laxmi was later arrested in the case. Investigators found that Ain Bahadur alias Raju and Laxmi had allegedly been supplying opium in Kandaghat, Narkanda, and nearby areas for a long period. Police said money earned through the illegal trade was allegedly used to purchase Innova and Urban Cruiser vehicles, a Royal Enfield motorcycle, and maintain large cash deposits in bank accounts.

The Police also revealed that Laxmi had earlier been booked in a cannabis smuggling case in 2016, which is still pending before the court.

In another case linked to Kotkhai Police Station, police seized illegal assets worth around Rs 60 lakh belonging to Aryan, 20, who was allegedly involved in heroin trafficking cases registered in 2023 and 2025. Officials said Aryan was detained under the PIT NDPS Act in 2026. Police investigations found that large financial transactions had been made through his bank accounts, despite his having no legal source of income. Authorities also alleged that he purchased a Scorpio vehicle and built a two story house using money earned through drug trafficking.

The Police further said investigations in both cases are continuing, and efforts are underway to further dismantle drug trafficking networks operating in the district.