A day after 73 drug addicts, including a few minor boys, were rescued from an illegal drug rehabilitation centre operating covertly in the basement of a shop at the grain market in Panniwala Fatta village of the Lambi Assembly segment here, the acting Senior Medical Officer (SMO) of Community Health Centre (CHC), Alamwala, has lodged a formal complaint with the Kabarwala police.He sought legal action against the unknown owners and management of the centre, who are at large.Members of the joint raiding team, comprising officials of the district police and the Health Department, described the conditions inside the centre as “inhumane”. An official said the inmates were confined in a poorly ventilated basement with no proper bedding arrangements. “There was hardly any ventilation and no beds for the inmates. Only two washrooms were available, and inmates told us they were sometimes not allowed to use these for up to 24 hours. In such conditions, they were told to meditate, with a chart displayed there outlining scheduled daily activities,” the official said.He added, “Those rescued also alleged physical abuse and mental torture at the unauthorised centre. Some of them claimed that they were admitted for the past four months and being thrashed there. A strong iron door with a small shuttered windowpane was found installed there. Further, a few inmates were found cooking meals there, and the door was found bolted from the outside.”According to him, families of the inmates were allegedly being charged between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 per month by the management. “No attendance register or official records were found at the premises. Some inmates further claimed that they had been brought from another centre in Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan,” the official said.Another official said the management had kept two dogs on the ground floor, possibly to deter entry of any unwanted person or raise an alarm. “Those rescued belonged to Ferozepur, Fazilka, Muktsar, Bathinda, Tarn Taran and parts of Rajasthan. They ranged from teenagers to senior citizens,” he added.Lambi DSP Harbans Singh Dhaliwal confirmed that a written complaint had been received from the Health Department. “Teams have been sent to record statements of all rescued individuals, who have been shifted to various civil hospitals. A case will be registered at the Kabarwala police station,” he said, adding that the police were verifying the link of this illegal centre with the one in Rajasthan.Notably, a resident of Malout town had lodged a complaint to the Health Department in this regard, following which the raid was conducted.