Daijiworld Media Network- Dharamsala

Dharamsala, Mar 5: In a major breakthrough, Kangra police arrested two women involved in smuggling chitta (adulterated heroin) while they were attempting to escape to Canada from Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, officials said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Kangra Superintendent of Police Shalini Agnihotri said the arrests were made following an investigation that began after three youths were caught with narcotics in Dharamsala on January 21.

"On the night of January 21, a police team, acting on a tip-off, intercepted a car during a routine patrol in Dharamsala. Upon searching the vehicle, the police recovered 30 gm of chitta from its occupants—Shashank Bisht of Dehradun, and Ayush and Savatang Shahi from Dharamsala. A case was immediately registered at Dharamsala police station," she said.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that they had procured the drugs from two women from Punjab, identified as Kulwant Kaur and Germanpreet Kaur. A financial probe further linked the women to the drug trade, with transactions of Rs 4.50 lakh traced through UPI payments to their bank accounts.

"Technical analysis of mobile phone data indicated their last known location near Delhi airport. Acting swiftly, a special police team was dispatched to Delhi on February 28, leading to their arrest inside the airport on March 3," Agnihotri added.

During the search, police recovered their passports, confirming their plan to flee to Canada.

The arrested women are currently being interrogated to unravel the larger drug network and identify other associates. Authorities are also examining their financial records, properties, and bank accounts to track assets accumulated through drug smuggling, the SP said.