Ludhiana: Viral Drug Videos Spark Police Hunt as Modi Launches Punjab Expressway
Ludhiana commanded national attention this week on two starkly contrasting fronts: two deeply disturbing videos purportedly showing individuals in a state of severe drug intoxication circulated widely on social media, reigniting public alarm over Punjab's narcotics crisis and prompting the city's Commissionerate Police to launch an investigation to identify the victims and trace any suspected supply network. At the same time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 17 inaugurated a landmark portfolio of National Highway projects in Punjab and Haryana worth more than Rs 12,470 crore, with the Ludhiana Bypass included alongside the inaugural packages of the 667-kilometre Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway. The twin developments encapsulate the full complexity of Punjab's industrial capital: a city wrestling with a persistent public health emergency while simultaneously being reshaped by some of the most ambitious road infrastructure investments in North India's recent history.
Viral Drug Videos Rattle City; Police Hunt Victims and Supply Network
Two disturbing videos shared widely across social media platforms have reignited deep concern over drug abuse in Punjab, with many online commentators speculating that the individuals depicted were under the influence of a so-called zombie drug -- a term commonly applied to highly potent synthetic substances capable of inducing extreme dissociation and total loss of motor control. Ludhiana Commissionerate Police have explicitly clarified, however, that there is no official confirmation linking either incident to any specific substance, and investigators are pursuing both cases with care to avoid speculation ahead of medical verification.
The first video, reportedly filmed near the Driving Test Track on Chandigarh Road, shows a young man dressed in black entirely unable to remain on his feet inside a dilapidated building. He is seen leaning against the wall for support before repeatedly collapsing, his body appearing to have lost all capacity for basic motor coordination. The second clip, said to originate from near Samrala Chowk, captures a young woman kneeling in the middle of a busy road; as she attempts to stand she cannot maintain her balance and bends sharply forward in a deeply alarming posture while traffic continues to move around her. Bystanders are visible gathering nearby, yet she appears unable to engage with them or respond to her surroundings. Police are now working to formally identify both individuals, arrange prompt medical treatment, and trace any drug supply network suspected of circulating dangerous narcotics in the city. The incidents arrive against the backdrop of Punjab's long-running public health crisis around narcotics, which has remained a defining challenge for successive state governments and a priority concern for Ludhiana's law enforcement community. [4]
🏢 Modi Inaugurates Ludhiana Bypass and Rs 9,680-Crore Expressway Packages
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 17 inaugurated and laid foundation stones for a sweeping portfolio of National Highway projects across Punjab and Haryana, with the total investment exceeding Rs 12,470 crore and the Ludhiana Bypass forming a key component alongside the centrepiece announcement: the formal inauguration of Packages 1 through 5 of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway.
The inaugurated packages cover 157.92 kilometres of a four-lane, fully access-controlled Greenfield corridor built at a cost of approximately Rs 9,680 crore. These segments form part of the larger 667-kilometre Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway corridor that, once fully commissioned, is projected to fundamentally transform journey times across North India's most trafficked routes. The Delhi-to-Katra journey -- a high-volume pilgrimage route for devotees of the Vaishno Devi shrine and one of the busiest corridors in the country -- is expected to be reduced from nearly 14 hours to approximately six. The Delhi-to-Amritsar trip, historically around eight hours, would fall to approximately four. The corridor is also designed to ease chronic congestion on National Highway 44, historically known as the Grand Trunk Road, which currently carries enormous volumes of freight and passenger traffic linking Delhi to Punjab and beyond.
For Ludhiana specifically, the Bypass will provide a dedicated arterial route skirting the city's congested industrial core, offering direct benefits to the city's manufacturing, export, and logistics sectors. The combined programme represents a generational step forward for Punjab's connectivity and its economic integration with India's northern freight and passenger corridor, with Ludhiana positioned to gain substantially from both reduced transit times and increased commercial throughput. [5]
Sources: [4] Punjab Newsline · [5] Swarajya