Shashi Negi, an apple trader from Shimla, was apprehended for running an interstate drug racket involving ‘chitta’ (adulterated heroin). Orders were placed via WhatsApp and delivered through a complex network to avoid detection. Police connected him to Nigerian and other gangs, seizing 465 grams of drugs and arresting 25 associates.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India would have given Pakistan more financial aid than the IMF if relations were friendly. Speaking in Gurez, he stressed India’s commitment to Jammu and Kashmir’s development, criticized Pakistan for funding terrorism, and promised local recruitment and infrastructure improvements.

The opposition party reiterated its demand for a Supreme-court monitored inquiry through an SIT into the whole electoral bond scheme