In a significant breakthrough against the illicit drug trade, Shimla police have arrested two sisters, Mehak Negi (24) and Simran Negi (22), for their involvement in the Ranjan syndicate, a notorious local drug network. The women, residents of Padshal village in Kotkhai Tehsil, were apprehended while peddling heroin, also known as “chitta,” under the direction of the syndicate’s kingpin, Ranjan Sharma.
According to Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, the arrests were the result of a thorough investigation that revealed the sisters’ roles as both sellers and consumers of the illegal substance. After their court appearance, both have been placed in judicial custody.
With these arrests, the total number of individuals connected to the Ranjan syndicate has now risen to 11, including Ranjan himself, who was arrested in September. The syndicate primarily operated in Shimla district’s Theog and Kotkhai areas, where drugs were smuggled from Delhi by Kamal Acharya, a known associate of Ranjan. Acharya would transport small amounts of heroin to Kotkhai, where the drugs were then distributed.
This arrest is part of a series of successful operations aimed at dismantling drug networks in Shimla. Earlier this year, in September, Shashi Negi, also known as Shahi Mahatma, was arrested along with 25 of his associates for interstate drug trafficking. Additionally, in June, another major bust resulted in the arrest of Ravi Giri, a kingpin from Narkanda with ties to Nepal, underscoring the ongoing efforts by Shimla’s law enforcement to combat the drug trade in the region.
