Shimla, Aug. 12 -- In a major crackdown on an interstate drug trafficking network, Shimla police has identified and seized and freezed illegal assets worth around Rs.2.09 crore, allegedly acquired through drug trafficking, officials said on Tuesday. Sharing information, additional superintendent of police, Shimla City, Mehar Panwar, said the police action marked a shift from merely recovering drugs and arresting traffickers to targeting the financial infrastructure and illegal assets created through the narcotics trade. The assets include several luxury and high-value vehicles, including Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, Tata Safari, Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Swift and Volkswagen Jetta. The action also covers two commercial properties identified as S-4 Sports Club and S-4 Car Wash Centre, besides a residential house and bank balances. The case originated on June 20, when the Shimla police special cell, acting on a specific intelligence input, raided a homestay at Kanlog and arrested Gopal Kumar, a resident of Bathinda, with around 16 grams of heroin, commonly known as "chitta". During the investigation, police established the backward link of the consignment and arrested Gurvachan, alias Guru, also a Bathinda resident, from Mohali. Police said approximately 162 grams of heroin/chitta was recovered from him during the search. Further scientific, technical and human-intelligence-based investigation allegedly established the involvement of Deepak Kumar alias Karni Brar of Bathinda, who was identified by investigators as the alleged key operator of the drug network. Shimla police subsequently conducted a joint operation in Bathinda and arrested Deepak Kumar, alias Karni Brar. According to police, Brar has a previous criminal record. He was allegedly booked on June 12, 2023, under NDPS Act in Bathinda, in a case involving around 100 grams of narcotics. He was also named as accused in case registered on February 15, 2018, under Sections 354 and 354-D of the Indian Penal Code at Bathinda, and another case was registered against him on January 21, 2022, under Section 188 of the IPC at Bathinda. During the financial investigation, police found that transactions exceeding Rs.50 lakh had taken place in Brar's bank account over a period of just six months. Police then initiated a detailed financial probe under the provisions of the NDPS Act to trace assets allegedly acquired from the proceeds of drug trafficking....