Himachal: Four more associates of drug lord Shahi Mahatma arrested

Himachal Pradesh: Shimla police has arrested four more associates of notorious interstate drug kingpin Shahi Mahatma alias Shashi Negi from different places in Rohru subdivision. The arrested persons have been identified as Sikandar Thakur (24) of Lower Koti village, Ashish (33) of Rohru, Kulwant (42) of Chirgaon and Naresh Kumar (36) of Bijauri village. These arrests come after a police crackdown in which several members of the drug racket have already been arrested. According to Shimla Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, these arrests were made after investigation into further links of the Shahi Mahatma case. The arrested persons were found to have significant bank transactions with the kingpin, involving amounts ranging from Rs 58,600 to Rs 2.55 lakh. Shahi Mahatma, who was arrested in September, ran a sophisticated and well-organised drug smuggling operation in Rohru. His network comprised around 40 to 45 people and over 25 associates have been arrested so far.

He had established contacts with drug peddlers from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and even Nigerian networks. His operations were mainly concentrated in the upper reaches of Shimla, including Jubbal, Kotkhai, Theog and Rohru. Despite being the mastermind of the racket, Mahatma avoided direct contact with buyers. He relied on a network of middlemen to handle transactions and frequently changed his locations and mobile phones to avoid getting caught. Before any sale, Mahatma’s associates would verify buyers through PAN and Aadhaar details, and add them to a WhatsApp group for further coordination. Payments were made through UPI and the contraband was then left for the buyer at designated locations like under a tree or near a roadside stone. Mahatma’s downfall began when one of his associates from Jammu and Kashmir was arrested with 486 grams of chitta in Khara Patthar, following which a massive investigation took place and eventually his drug network was busted.