On Sunday, Himachal Pradesh Police took action to stop the flow of drugs into the state and arrested these two alleged main suppliers of “chitta” in Chandigarh and Punjab. Thomas Masih, 29, and Golu, 29, were arrested as a result of separate investigations in Rohru and Kotkhai which followed the money and phone calls going between states.
Why the arrests matter
Police say Masih and Golu were at the center of the routes bringing “chitta” into Himachal Pradesh. The operation, led by the police team in Shimla, showed that the drugs seized in the hill areas came from Punjab and Chandigarh, and showed a deliberate effort to stop the entire supply chain, not just arrest individual sellers.
Abhishek Dhiman, Additional Superintendent of Police in Shimla, says the goal of this action is to break up the drug network that operates between states. He says the arrests were based on digital information and the financial connections between people suspected of being involved.
How investigators traced the network
The investigation didn’t begin with the top people in the network. It started with two separate cases that, over a few days, revealed a chain of suppliers. Investigators used questioning of those arrested, analysis of phone records, and a close look at financial records to work their way up that chain.
Trail from the Rohru case
The first lead came from a case started at the Rohru Police Station on March 26, 2026. Sunil Puharta and Pinku Ram were arrested with about 53 grams of “chitta”. Questioning them and looking at their phones and bank transactions showed investigators where the drugs came from.
Pinku Ram told Dhiman police that he got his drugs from Salman Haider, a supplier based in Uttar Pradesh. Police arrested Haider in Bijnor on April 12, 2026. Further questioning showed Haider was getting the drugs from Thomas Masih in Punjab.
Based on this information, a police team from Rohru found Masih in Gurdaspur. He was arrested on Saturday and taken to Shimla for more questioning, police say.
Breakthrough in the Kotkhai case
A second lead came from a case at the Kotkhai Police Station, filed on March 29. Ramanjeet Singh and Rubal Chauhan were arrested and police took 2 grams of “chitta”, 6 grams of crystal meth, a pistol and a knife from them.
Ramanjeet Singh said he bought the drugs from Golu, a seller in Chandigarh, Dhiman said. Police used technical information and phone records to confirm this connection. Golu was arrested in Chandigarh and has been brought to Shimla, and police are still asking questions.
Arrests tie three states to a single chain
Together, the two investigations linked what was going on in Himachal Pradesh to suppliers in Punjab and Chandigarh, and even to Uttar Pradesh through Haider. Police say they found important proof of financial transactions and communications between the people involved, showing how the drugs were getting from place to place.
Police were careful to point out that both arrests happened because of careful, step-by-step work, not from a single raid. Each arrest led to the next one, allowing the teams to follow the money and phone calls back to the people supposedly selling drugs in large amounts.
What officials say comes next
Police say they will question Masih and Golu about where they got the drugs, how they distributed them, and how they paid for them. As Dhiman says, they want to use the evidence they have to find more connections, inside and outside of Himachal Pradesh.
Here are the immediate priorities, according to investigators:
– Examine seized digital records for new contacts
– Track financial trails to higher suppliers
– Coordinate with neighbouring states on follow-ups
The broader picture
Although the cases started with fairly small amounts of drugs being seized, police say the evidence they found helped them identify who was supplying the contraband. By putting together the information from Rohru and Kotkhai, investigators believe they have blocked two key points in the flow of drugs to the local market.
Officials say more arrests are possible as they look at communication data and financial activity. Both men are now in Shimla, and the investigation is continuing.
