75% of chitta smugglers in Shimla hail from rural areas

Shimla: Rural areas in Shimla district are becoming 'chitta' (adulterated heroin) hubs as about 75 per cent of the arrested smugglers hail from these areas, according to police data. As many as 355 people including 341 men and 14 women were arrested in 239 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) cases in the capital district in 2022, the data said.

Out of these, chitta accounted for over 65 per cent of total NDPS cases and 250 people were apprehended with the narcotic in 157 cases, it said. The data procured from the police revealed that out of the 166 drug traffickers booked in connection with chitta, 47 are from Rampur, 42 from Shimla town, 37 from Rohru, 34 from Theog and six from Chopal. Out of the total 250 arrested for possessing chitta, 201 are from Himachal, 12 from Haryana, 10 from Uttar Pradesh, seven from Punjab, six from Delhi, three from Bihar, two each from Rajasthan and Jharkhand and one from Chandigarh, it said. Besides this, two each are the United Kingdom, Nepal and Nigeria, the police data stated.

As a result of public police partnership, the number of cases, arrests and seizures of chitta has increased by 30 per cent, 18 per cent and 116 per cent respectively as compared to 2021, Shimla SP Monika Bhutunguru said. At least 250 persons have been arrested in 157 cases with the recovery of 3.8 kg chitta as compared to 211 arrests in 211 cases and recovery of 1.8 kg chitta in 2021, she said. This was made possible because of the cyber surveillance of the suspects, dedicated teams, diligent checking and information received via Drug-Free Himachal App, she told PTI. With a surge in the number of drug addicts, a big market has been created for chitta. Some addicts who are from affluent families are also turning into peddlers to afford the drug which costs Rs 4,000 to 6,000 per gram, officials in the police department said. The drug is expensive and unaffordable for students and is forcing them to "consume as well as sell the drug" to keep them afloat. Smugglers are roping in more youth and forming chains to survive, officials added. Chitta (Diacetylmorphine), a semi-synthetic opioid which is mainly derived from heroin, is highly dangerous and lethal as the consumption increases with the passage of time and its overdose could even result in death, former director of state Forensic Science Laboratory Arun Sharma said.