The Kangra police have arrested seven persons, including three women, in a series of anti-drug operations conducted in the district over the past two days, recovering 53.38 grams of heroin (chitta) in separate cases.

Kangra SP Kulbhushan Verma said that a CIA team apprehended three persons near the Ecco Bridge in Jadrangal panchayat and recovered 13.90 grams of heroin from their possession. The police also impounded a taxi allegedly used for transporting the contraband. The accused have been identified as Gaurav Sharma (25) and Ankaj Kumar (36), both residents of Dharamsala subdivison, and Abhishek Kumar (30), a resident of Palampur.

In another operation, the CIA team of the Kangra police arrested a man and a woman and recovered 33.01 grams of chitta during checking in Shahpur subdivision. The accused have been identified as Vinod Kumar (24), a resident of Sujanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, and Sunita, alias Veeri (45), a resident of Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. The motorcycle being used by the accused was also seized. Earlier on Monday, the police recovered 2.57 grams of heroin following a tip-off and arrested two women in Palampur. They were identified as Sandhya Devi (45), a resident Palampur, and Hema Kumari (30), a resident of Mandi district.

Verma said that cases had been registered under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) at various police stations and further investigations were underway to ascertain the source of the contraband and identify other persons involved in the drug trafficking network.

“The Kangra police are committed to eliminating the drug menace from the district. We are carrying out sustained action against drug peddlers and will continue to trace both backward and forward linkages to dismantle the entire supply chain. We also appeal to the public to cooperate with the police by sharing information about drug-related activities,” he added.