Shimla/Baddi | A woman, who lost her son to drugs, trapped a peddler who was repeatedly calling her second son for supplying drugs in the Baddi area of the state, police said on Wednesday.

It began when Santosh one day picked up the call of a 'chitta' (adulterated heroin) smuggler, who was repeatedly calling her other son to buy drugs, and spoke in a male voice.

She asked the peddler to come to Vardhman Birla Marg in Barotiwala area of Baddi on Tuesday to handover the contraband.

When he came, Santosh, who had been waiting for him along with several of her relatives and other people, caught hold of him, tied him to a tree, and beat him up.

The peddler, identified as Madan Mohan from Nadaun area of Hamirpur district, was later arrested with 0.99 gram of 'chitta' in his possession.

Madan Mohan, who runs a shop near Santosh's house, was booked under several sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, police said.

Chitta (diacetylmorphine), a semi-synthetic opioid, mainly derived from heroin, is highly dangerous and lethal as it is highly addictive and its overdose could even result in death, said Arun Sharma, former director of State Forensic Science Laboratory.

Baddi Superintendent of Polie (SP) Mohit Chawla told PTI that the incident sent a strong message to people who are now coming forward to fight the evil of drug menace.

He, at the same time, urged the general public not to take law in their hands and cooperate with the police.

The SP said that detection cells, technology and involvement of the general public can help in eradication of drug menace and cited examples of how the CCTV cameras installed in notorious places have led to the nabbing of several peddlers.

He said that about 5,500 CCTV cameras have been installed in the past two years in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial belt.

The SP further said that 72 cases of the NDPS Act have been registered so far this year which is about 30 per cent more than the last year and seven drug suppliers have been arrested.

The consumption of Chitta has increased manifold in the state in the past few years and its seizure increased from 3.4 kg in 2017 to 11.52 kg in 2022.

About 60 per cent of the drug peddlers in the state have taken to 'chitta' smuggling for a greater margin, police said.