Shimla, Nov 2 (PTI) Eight drug peddlers associated with the Shahi Mahatma gang have been arrested, police in Himachal Pradesh said on Saturday.

The arrested drug peddlers have been identified as Altamas Makrani (21), a resident of Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh who was residing in Shimla district's Rohru, Navdeep Negi (39), Sandeep Sharma (29), Ranush Puharta (27), Khushi Ram Thakur (28), Someshwar (32), Hanish Ranta (25) and Puruskrit Verma (33) -- all residents of Rohru.

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Superintendent of Police (SP), Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said the accused were arrested on the basis of an investigation into backward linkages, including financial inquiries.

He said 26 members of the gang are yet to be arrested.

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The Shahi Mahatma gang, active in Shimla district, mainly deals in "chitta" (adulterated heroin). It was run by Shahi Negi alias Shahi Mahatma. Police got to know about the gang after one of Negi's conduits hailing from Jammu and Kashmir was arrested with more than 465 grams of "chitta" at Shimla's Khadapathar in September. Negi was also arrested the same day.

With more than 40 associates, Negi was supplying drugs under the garb of an apple business for five-six years and had links with Nigerian gangs as well as gangs in New Delhi and Haryana.

A dealer of apples and other fruits, he was running a drug business in the Rohru area and was prevalent in the Rohru, Jubbal-Kotkhai and Theog areas of Upper Shimla.

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