Youth dies of drug overdose in Solan

In a case highlighting proliferating drug trade in the state’s industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala, a 21-year old industrial worker died of alleged drug overdose at Kunjhal village in Barotiwala on Saturday evening around 11 pm.

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The youth was identified as Afzal Khan, a resident of Khushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, and was staying in a rented accommodation at Kunjhal with his parents.

According to police sources, the youth had been consuming marijuana at Khushinagar. His parents brought him here a few days ago and got him employed in an industrial unit.

He was, however, found unconscious some distance away at Baliyana village and brought home by his kin. His condition deteriorated around 11 pm, following which he was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Though a post-mortem examination was conducted, the cause of death was yet to be decisively confirmed. His viscera samples had been preserved for forensic examination, added the police source.

Baddi Additional SP Ashok Verma said the cause of death would be ascertained after the post-mortem report. He added that the police were carrying out inquest proceedings under Section 194 of the BNS.

With drugs such as heroin and marijuana being sold with impunity in this industrial belt, this case highlights the need to tighten the noose around drug traders more effectively than merely arresting small time peddlers.