A 22-year-old woman died of a “drug overdose” at her friend’s residence in Hoshiarpur on the night of October 13 and 14, the victim’s mother said. The police identified the deceased as Dinky and his friend Mamta.
Detective Sub-Inspector Hans Raj said they arrested Mamta’s husband Rajinder Kumar (25) based on the video found on the victim’s mobile phone. The video showed “Rajinder injecting Dinky in the presence of Mamta,” said the police officer.
In her complaint to the police, Dinky’s mother Seema Joshi said, “My daughter left home in the morning on October 13, saying she was going out with her friends. When it got late and he didn’t come back, I called Dinky on his cell phone and he told me that he was going to stay at Mamta’s for the night and come back in the morning.”
The mother said, “Around 3:30 in the morning, I got a call from Mamta. He told me that Dinky was lying unconscious in his house. I rushed to Mamta’s house with my eldest daughter, then I transferred Dinky to the Civil Hospital, where the doctors said that my daughter was dead on arrival.”
“Following Seema’s complaint, we started an investigation and found a video on Dinky’s phone. The video showed Rajinder injecting her. We have booked Rajinder under section 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not including murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Model Town police station. He has been arrested,” said the investigating officer.
“During interrogation, Rajinder, who works in the factory, said Dinky came to him with an injection and asked him to give it to him, he said he needed it immediately,” said the police officer.
“An autopsy has been done, and the report is still awaited to determine the cause of his death. We are still investigating the case to find out what led to his death,” said the police officer.
The police said that they are investigating the case and the drug network related to it. The deceased’s mother works as a housekeeper and his father is bedridden.
Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Pratap Singh Bajwa posted on X: “Another young daughter of Punjab has become a victim of drug overdose. The deceased, identified as a 22-year-old from Hoshiarpur, is the latest in a growing list of deaths in the state’s rampant drug crisis.
The @AAPPunjab government, led by CM @BhagwantMann, has made empty promises again and again and set a deadline to rid Punjab of drugs. Despite holding the important Home Portfolio, Mann has completely failed to curb the rampant drug menace. The death of people who use drugs is becoming a bad trend in Punjab, yet the CM seems indifferent as if the loss of life of Punjabi youth does not move his conscience.”