A drug addict and alleged peddler arrested by Kapurthala police has reportedly confessed to targeting juveniles and getting them hooked on drugs so he could use them to sell narcotics without attracting suspicion.
A drug addict and alleged peddler arrested by Kapurthala police has reportedly confessed to targeting juveniles and getting them hooked on drugs so he could use them to sell narcotics without attracting suspicion. The case came to light after a video showing a 13-year-old boy consuming drugs went viral. Following the incident, police rescued the boy and his 10-year-old brother and admitted both to the de-addiction centre at Civil Hospital.
The brothers, who belong to Jhuggian Rajpur village, had been living in dire circumstances after their father died, leaving their mother struggling with poverty. According to police, the children would frequently approach other families in the village for food.
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Subhanpur SHO Amandeep Nahar said the accused, Paramjit Singh, a resident of Hoshiarpur, had been visiting the village to meet a woman he referred to as his sister.
During questioning, Paramjit allegedly disclosed that he had encouraged the boys to inhale drugs around two weeks ago and recorded the incident on video.
“He provided them with heroin and disclosed that he wanted to use them for peddling as kids of this age would not be suspected by the police,” the SHO said.
Police discovered the viral video on Wednesday evening and arrested Paramjit later that night. The two children were admitted to the de-addiction centre the same evening for treatment and rehabilitation.
Highlighting the family’s desperate circumstances, Nahar said, “Most of the villagers are very poor and these two kids would often get food from other families in the village,” he said.
Police have also identified another accused who allegedly supplied drugs to Paramjit. Police are probing the suspected supply network as the investigation continues.