Overview

• Police confirmed one death on September 29 and three more on September 30 in Lakh(o) Ke Behram, with the victims in their mid‑20s to around 30 and known to have past addiction histories.
• Residents staged a dharna and blocked the Ferozepur–Fazilka highway with the bodies before lifting the protest after assurances of action against alleged local suppliers.
• Officers said two of the deceased had been severely ill for months, one allegedly injected a crushed de‑addiction tablet after discharge from rehab, and the first death’s cause is unknown.
• Families declined post-mortems and cremated the bodies, a decision police say has constrained the inquiry and prevents determinations of immediate causes.
• The cluster has renewed scrutiny of Punjab’s drug mortality problem, with NCRB data showing the state recorded 89 drug-related deaths in 2023, the highest in the country.