Kapurthala: A drug addict-cum-peddler arrested for allegedly targeting juveniles to draw them into addiction told Kapurthala police that he got children hooked on drugs to use them for peddling. The arrest followed the circulation of a viral video showing a 13-year-old boy consuming drugs.Police admitted the 13-year-old and his 10-year-old brother to the de-addiction centre at the Civil Hospital. The brothers had been living in extreme poverty after their father’s death, and villagers often provided them with meals.Subhanpur SHO Amandeep Nahar said the boys are residents of Jhuggian Rajpur village. The accused, Paramjit Singh of Hoshiarpur, frequently visited the village to meet a woman he referred to as his sister. During questioning, he allegedly disclosed that he had encouraged the children to start inhaling drugs about two weeks ago and had filmed them.“He supplied them with heroin and said he intended to use them for peddling, believing children of this age would not attract police suspicion,” the SHO said.Police said they came across the video on Wednesday evening and arrested the accused the same night while also shifting the boys to the de-addiction centre.“Most families in the village are very poor, and the two boys often depended on other households for food,” Nahar said.Based on Paramjit Singh’s interrogation, police have also named another suspect who allegedly supplied him the drugs.
