WhatsApp Chitta Racket: How Police Caught Kingpin Apple Trader in Shimla

Shimla police arrested Shashi Negi, an apple trader running a WhatsApp-based heroin cartel, coordinating supply across Shimla and beyond. Negi ensured anonymity through contactless deliveries and unrelated intermediaries. The police seized 465 grams of 'Chitta' and traced fund flows of up to ₹3 crores, dismantling the network after years of operation.

Shimla police have dismantled a sophisticated WhatsApp-based drug trafficking network, arresting Shahi Mahatma (Shashi Negi), an apple trader, on September 20 for operating a heroin ("Chitta") cartel. Negi, the central figure connecting demand and supply, had been running this network in the guise of his apple business for over five years. He coordinated drug supply across Shimla's Rohru, Jubbal-Kotkhai, and Theog areas, dealing with gangs from New Delhi, Haryana, Nigeria, and Kashmir.

Negi’s operation relied on an intricate, contactless delivery system where involved parties acted as unrelated individuals. Drugs changed hands at least four times before reaching the end user, ensuring anonymity. Deliveries were made by dropping drugs at isolated locations, and buyers were instructed to collect them via shared videos. Payments traveled through various bank accounts before ending in Dhan Laxmi accounts in Solan, with police uncovering fund flows of ₹2.5-3 crores.

Also Read: Delhi: Sweet Shops and Car Showrooms Targeted in Extortion-Related Shootings; Police Launch Investigation

Negi's luck ran out when police seized 465 grams of 'Chitta' from Kharapathar on September 20, the largest seizure in the region this year. The police have also arrested 25 of his associates, using a “socially integrated intelligence network system” involving local residents as informers.