Maharashtra Police on Tuesday debunked claims about a widely circulated video showing a man in a disoriented state on the road, saying the person was not under the influence of “zombie drugs”. Police instead revealed that the man had taken an overdose of pregabalin, a drug used to treat nerve pain.
On April 15, a video surfaced online showing a man standing in astonishing conditions in Bhayander area of Thane, Maharashtra. The allegations circulated with the video said that the man was under the influence of a “zombie drug.”
After noticing the clip, the Crime Detection Branch has been directed to trace the person and verify the allegations made on social media, news agency PTI reported. During investigation, police found that the video was recorded around 10 pm on April 13, and the person seen in the footage was identified as 22-year-old Sameer Rajendra Rawal.
He is a worker “who hails from Achham district in Nepal and currently lives on a footpath outside Borivali railway station in Mumbai,” news agency PTI quoted the Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar police as saying in a statement.
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Why was the man dizzy?
Police traced the man to a road in Bhayander on April 17. During interrogation, the man revealed that he came from Nepal last month in search of work and that he was addicted to taking Pregabalin tablets for the past two years, the statement said.
Pregabalin is a medication used to treat epilepsy, anxiety, or nerve pain.
“He reported that he was purchasing a cassette of 10 discs $Police said 100 people consumed it drunk.
The man took five pills at once
According to the police, the man purchased the tablets from a medical store in Navghar without any prescription.
On April 13, he reportedly took five pregabalin tablets at once. Later, while walking in Bhandar area, he felt dizzy and became unable to move, making him stand in one place, police said.
The police denied involvement in the “zombie drug” and said that the accident occurred due to excessive intake of Pregabalin, a drug of the “Schedule-H” category used to treat nerve pain.
Also Read: ‘Zombie Drug’ Allegations Debunked: Bengaluru Police Reveals the Real Reason Behind the Man Standing Motionless
A team with officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) searched the medical store from which the tablets were purchased, and it was found that the store owner had left the area after the video spread.
A report has been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration in Thane to take necessary action against the shopkeeper for allegedly supplying Schedule H drugs without a valid prescription, the police said.
A similar incident occurred in Bengaluru, where a man was seen standing motionless, sparking claims on social media about the effect of the ‘zombie drug’. The police later closed these allegations, adding that the person immediately underwent a detailed medical examination.
(With inputs from PTI)
