The arrests followed a covert operation led by the Anti-Crime and Cyber Unit (ACCU) in coordination with senior officers. Investigators had received information over the past several weeks that heroin was being brought from Punjab and sold locally through intermediaries. Surveillance and verification revealed that consignments were routed to an agent in Bilaspur, who then supplied select users in small quantities.
To penetrate the network, police deployed an ACCU member as a decoy customer. The operative placed an order for half a gram of heroin, priced at âš3,000, and maintained contact with the agent to identify the source and logistics of the supply. The communication, officials said, was conducted through coded messages on WhatsApp.
Based on the intelligence gathered, police identified Mohit Hinduja (32), a resident of Ward No. 7 in Chakarbhatha, as the local agent. Further tracking revealed that Karan Deep Singh (29) of Ward No. 12 had established a supply base in Punjab and was coordinating deliveries with R. Rajinder Kumar (35), a resident of Khemkaran village in Tarn Taran district.
Two days before the arrests, the suppliers travelled to Bilaspur to deliver a fresh consignment. Acting swiftly, teams led by Additional SP Pankaj Patel and Civil Lines CSP Nimitesh Singh, along with ACCU personnel, conducted a raid at a hotel in the Chakarbhatha police station area. All three accused were apprehended, and 34 grams of heroin packed in multiple sachets were recovered.
Preliminary questioning indicates the group sold heroin only to known customers and limited sales to half-gram packets to conceal the total quantity held by the agent. Police said the network was attempting to expand its customer base in Bilaspur while keeping transactions discreet.
Authorities are now compiling a list of buyers—estimated at eight to ten individuals—and examining bank accounts, call records and digital evidence to trace money flows and wider linkages. The accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act.
Senior officials said efforts will continue to dismantle the network fully, identify end users, and refer addicts for de-addiction support as part of a broader strategy to curb narcotics trafficking in the region.
