ASHISHPURI Kapurthala, April 9: Two youths died under suspicious circumstances in Raipur Araiyan village under Dhilwan police station, triggering anger among villagers who suspect drug overdose as the cause behind the deaths.
According to locals, one of the deceased, Balbir Singh alias Billa (35), son of Satpal Singh, was allegedly addicted to drugs and lived alone. On Thursday morning around 8:30 am, when a friend arrived to take him to work and received no response, he climbed over the wall and found Balbir lying dead in the kitchen. A syringe and some packets were recovered from the spot.
A few hours later, another youth, identified as Shelly, son of Hans Raj, reportedly collapsed after consuming drugs near the Tibbi Pir area of the village. He was rushed to Subhanpur Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The twin deaths have sparked outrage among villagers, who accused authorities of failing to curb the open sale of drugs, particularly chitta, in the area. Residents demanded strict action against drug peddlers and immediate measures to stop the drug menace.
Acting on the information, SHO Dalwinderbir Singh reached the village with a police team and arrested a drug trafficker allegedly involved in supplying narcotics.
SSP Kapurthala Gaurav Toora confirmed that Balbir Singh’s family has expressed no suspicion regarding his death and has already performed his last rites. In the second case, Shelly, who had recently returned from Mumbai, allegedly consumed drugs with a friend on Wednesday night, leading to his deteriorating condition and death during treatment on Thursday.
Police have arrested the main accused, Sawan, son of Samson, a resident of the same village, for allegedly supplying drugs. A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder is being registered, and raids are ongoing to nab other accused.
The SSP urged citizens to share information about drug peddlers and appealed to families to admit addicts to government de-addiction centres in time.