Bengaluru: Acting swiftly on the misinformation video on social media showing a man allegedly under the influence of a ‘zombie drug’, Bagalur police arrested Hemanth Kumar, 29, a resident of Vidyaranyapura, an executive in an eyewear firm Thursday night.Hemanth made the video on his mobile phone and uploaded it on his Instagram account.Police commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh debunked the claim based on the man’s medical examination report. Home minister G Parameshwara said: “He had consumed alcohol along with medicines, which affected him. There is no such zombie drug involved.” Hemanth, who was passing by the institute around 11.30am on April 7, noticed a man struggling to walk. Suspecting that the man was under the influence of a ‘zombie drug’, he made and uploaded a 32-second video. His scooter was also visible in the video, which helped police trace him using the vehicle’s registration number, a senior police officer said.During interrogation, Hemanth told police he had seen videos of so-called “zombie drug” users allegedly from Western countries such as the US, Russia and others on YouTube. Based on those clips, he assumed the man he filmed had consumed such a substance. The clip quickly went viral and was widely shared, including by an actor and a retired IPS officer.After being apprehended, Hemanth released a video confession, apologising to the people of Karnataka for causing panic.A senior officer said the video reached nearly 75,000 people by the time police secured him, and it crossed one lakh views by Friday morning. The clip triggered widespread concern, with many believing the man was under the influence of dangerous drugs.The man in the video was traced on April 8 and subjected him to a medical examination. Doctors clarified no narcotic or psychotropic substances were detected. He is suffering from arthritis and sinusitis and had consumed prescribed medication along with alcohol, which led to the disoriented behaviour seen in the video.Police commissioner Singh said: “People have to make comments only after knowing the facts. We are issuing notices to those who shared the video.”Bagalur police have registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS Section 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) and under the Information Technology Act. The retired IPS officer deleted the video from his Instagram account after knowing about Hemanth’s arrest, but the actor has not deleted the video from his Facebook account.
