19-year-old found dead near Bhuntar bus stand, drug overdose suspected

Kullu, April 10

In a suspected case of drug overdose, the body of a youth was found near Bhuntar bus stand, 10 km from here, today.

The deceased was identified as Pushkar (19) of Bhuin village in Bhuntar subdivision. His family has demanded strict action against the drug mafia.

The police have started an investigation after recording the statements of the locals and family members of the deceased.

Kullu SP Karthikeyan Gokulachandran said the exact cause of death would be known from the post-mortem report. He added that the Kullu Police were continuously taking action against drug smugglers.

Meanwhile, Bhuntar residents said the drug smugglers had become active of late and started targeting children and youth. Sanjay, a local, said, “With cases of drug smuggling coming to light every now and then, the menace should be dealt with strictly so that the young generation does not fall prey to drugs.”

Maintaining that the drug peddlers and sellers had become fearless, a legal expert said, “Many times these anti-social elements are put behind bars, but they manage to come out and create trouble for society again.”

Even as strict laws to curb the drug menace are in place, many people sell drugs to earn easy money. The residents are more concerned over the increased availability of synthetic drugs in Kullu valley, which has already earned notoriety due to ‘charas’ (marijuana). Sources revealed that availability of synthetic drugs like heroin, smack, cocaine, MDM and LSD was on the rise in the valley.

The police had made several arrests and drug seizures in the past, but drug trafficking was yet to be reined in. Earlier, it was foreigners and persons out of the state who were arrested with synthetic drugs, but, of late, many locals had also been found involved in the illegal activity.