Chandigarh: Woman among 4 drug peddlers held, 51.21 grams of heroin recovered

The police team was patrolling the area when two suspicious individuals carrying bags were seen approaching from the direction of Khalsa College, Mohali. Upon noticing the police, the duo turned around and attempted to flee but were apprehended after a brief chase. They were identified as Gurpreet Singh (22), a cab driver from Dhandiquadim village, Jalalabad West, currently residing in Kharar, and Ashok, alias Happy (29), a private employee and resident of Sector 52, Chandigarh.

A search of their bags led to the recovery of 21.46 grams of heroin from Gurpreet and 15.28 grams from Ashok, totalling 36.74 grams. An FIR under Section 21 of the NDPS Act was registered at Sector 36 police station.

Initial investigations revealed that the two accused had been sourcing heroin from a supplier based at Kharar. They would purchase around 30–40 grams of heroin for approximately Rs 50,000 and then sell the substance to users in Chandigarh and Mohali. Gurpreet and Ashok came into contact with the drug dealer through a common friend during a visit to Shimla. Both were produced before the court on Tuesday, and the police secured one-day remand to trace the supplier.

In the second case, the team from Maloya police station, led by SHO Inspector Jasbir Singh, arrested a woman drug peddler and her associate. The arrests followed an earlier incident on August 2, when ASI Satnam Singh, while on patrol near the petrol pump in Sector 38-West, apprehended Bobby (24), a resident of Sector 38-A, Chandigarh, and recovered 12.47 grams of heroin from him.

During further investigation, the police arrested the co-accused, Heena (30), wife of Deepak and a resident of DMC, Chandigarh. She was apprehended on August 4, and 14.47 grams of heroin was recovered from her possession.

In total, the police recovered 51.21 grams of heroin in both cases, 21.46 gms from Gurpreet, 15.28 gms from Ashok, 12.47 gms from Bobby, and 14.47 gms from Heena. All the accused are currently under police remand.

The Chandigarh Police has said that these arrests are part of an intensified anti-drug operation being carried out in the run-up to the Independence Day. The aim is to break down local drug networks and trace supply chains extending into areas like Kharar and Mohali.

Further investigations are ongoing to identify the main suppliers and expand the crackdown on narcotics trafficking in the region, said the police.