2 illegal rehabs housing 179 inmates sealed in Ludhiana
LUDHIANA : Police and health department officials sealed two illegally run de-addiction centres at Samrala and Khanna sub-divisions of Ludhiana district and found 179 inmates who said they were not getting proper treatment at these facilities.
The joint raids were carried out on Sunday and Monday.
On Sunday, the team raided the de-addiction centre, Gurmati Vidayalya, at Khirniyan village of Samrala sub-division, and 40 inmates there.
The centre was being run in a rented accommodation for the past six months and is not registered with the health department, the police said.
The owner of the centre fled before the police arrived there. The police have not registered any case as no inmate came forward to lodge a complaint yet. The inmates, all adults, told the police that the centre owner used to mistreat them and also made them to starve. The inmates were sent to the civil hospital for treatment.
The police have informed the civil surgeon for further action.
Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dhruv Dahiya said the raid was conducted on a tip-off. The raiding team did not find anything objectionable .
The police said one of the addicts is a veterinary doctor, three are Australia-returned and two are landholders.
On Monday, police raided another illegal drug de-addiction centre at Ghunghrali Rajputan village in Khanna Sadar area claimed to have rescued 139 inmates who were kept there without their consent.
SSP Dahiya said this centre was also running without licence from the health department. The inmates’ families were asked to take them back.