The bodies of two youths who died under mysterious circumstances were found near a canal at Jhande Sarai village in Kartarpur subdivision of Jalandhar district on Monday, police said.
The deceased, identified as Jaspreet Singh of Ferozepur and Gagandeep Singh of Muktsar, both in their 20s, were allegedly mauled by the stray dogs after their deaths.
Sarpanch Sardul Singh said the two had arrived a few days ago to harvest the maize crop and had been missing for the past two days.
“The farmer who hired them thought that they had returned to their native villages. However, their dead bodies were found in a mutilated condition on Monday,” he said.
He claimed that the duo may have died due to a drug overdose, alleging that the villagers recovered used syringes near their dead bodies.
Kartarpur deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Narinder Singh Aujla said the exact cause of the death would be known only after their post-mortem examination, scheduled on Tuesday.
“The farmer, in whose fields they were working, told the police that the two had taken money to buy liquor and chicken but didn’t return,” the DSP said.
He added that victims’ families, who reached Kartarpur to identify the bodies, told police that they worked as farm labourers and were not addicted to drugs.
“We are probing the case from all the angles. However, the initial probe has not indicated a drug overdose,” the DSP said.
Police have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and are recording statements of the family members.
