E-Paper
Ludhiana: Woman ‘drug peddler’s’ house demolished after viral video
In the video, the woman was purportedly seen arguing with the sarpanch Manjinder Singh of Ludhiana’s Narangwal village and stating, “I will continue to sell drugs, no matter what. We aren’t new in this business. Do what you can.”
A viral video of a woman arguing with the sarpanch of Ludhiana’s Narangwal village and brazenly declaring that she would “continue selling drugs” led to swift action with police demolishing a part of her house in a late-night operation on Thursday.
Police claimed that the house was built illegally on panchayat land, and arrested the woman, Kulbir Kaur, and her husband, Balwant Singh. The FIR against them was registered earlier in the day.
In the video, the woman was purportedly seen arguing with the sarpanch Manjinder Singh and stating, “I will continue to sell drugs, no matter what. We aren’t new in this business. Do what you can.”
Her audacious remarks not only sparked outrage among locals but also caught the attention of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who immediately intervened.
Sarpanch Manjinder Singh revealed that the woman and her family had long been involved in drug peddling and had even threatened to kill him when he urged them to stop. “When the video reached CM Bhagwant Mann, he personally called me to enquire about the situation. After the family’s deep-rooted involvement in selling heroin was explained to him, he assured swift action,” said Singh.
Ludhiana rural senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ankur Gupta confirmed the police action and the couple’s arrest. He said that earlier on Thursday, police had arrested an accused, identified as Tanvir Singh. During questioning, the accused told police that he had bought the drugs from Kulbir Kaur and her husband Balwant Singh following which the police booked them too.
“The woman and her husband already face three other cases under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, and a fourth case was registered on Thursday. Their house, which was constructed by encroaching on panchayat land, has been demolished as part of the state’s crackdown on drug smugglers,” said Gupta.
Punjab Police have intensified their campaign against drug suppliers by demolishing properties linked to illegal drug operations. Earlier this week, police razed illegal structures linked to two other drug peddlers in Ludhiana and identified 78 more such properties slated for demolition.
