‘Chitta’ way ahead in stock of Chandigarh peddlers

CHANDIGARH: When it comes to demand, heroin (chitta) and banned vials are the favourites in the city. Nineteen out of 26 peddlers arrested in the first 15 days of the month were selling these drugs in the city.
Police claimed to have recovered 230 banned vials and 165.5 grams heroin from these accused. They used to sell heroin for Rs 4,000 per gram, and vials for Rs 300 to 400 to addicts in and around the city, police sources said.Some of the accused also revealed they bought heroin from Nigerian nationals in Delhi and injections from Saharanpur and Ambala. The price of heroin increases with the risk of getting caught.
Frequent usage of heroin — derived from opium from the poppy plant before it is refined to morphine, then further chemically modified — causes collapsed veins and infections of blood vessels and heart valves. Other side-effects of long-term abuse include tuberculosis and arthritis, experts said.
According to police record, 24 drug peddlers were arrested from August 1 to 10 this month with heroin, banned vials, and medicines, ganja and poppy husk from different parts of the city. The other two were caught on August 14 and 15. Out of the total accused, two were women. Most the arrests were made by the Sector 39 police — six. Maloya cops arrested five drug peddlers, Sector 11 police four, Industrial Area, Phase I, and Sarangpur police two peddlers each with banned capsules and heroin. All the accused have been lodged in Burail jail since their arrest.
On August 7, police arrested three drug peddlers with banned injectable vials, medicines and Heroin from different parts of city. On August 6, three drug smugglers were arrested with ganja, banned vials and heroin from different parts of the city.
Police have taken other steps to curtail the drug menace. During the second meeting of the Standing Committee of Administrators Advisory Council on Law and Order held at the police headquarters, Sector 9, recently, members suggested that all SHOs would communicate with legal aid clinics in their areas and receive information regarding drug abuse for further action. The crime branches of UT police had also held an inter-state meeting with inspectors of crime branches of Mohali, Panchkula, Baddi, Ambala, Shimla and Shaharanpur to curb the menace of drug smuggling.