Pune hooch tragedy: Toll rises to 17 as 22 police, excise officials suspended, methanol supplier traced

Pune: Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan on Saturday said the death toll in the spurious liquor tragedy in Pune and neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad has risen to 17 or 18, as the state government cracked the whip and suspended 22 police and excise department personnel for not acting against the illegal liquor trade.

A senior police official, however, said the death toll was 15. Eight people, including the suppliers of the methanol which was added to the liquor, have been arrested so far.

Mahajan, who visited the families of the victims, termed the incident "very painful" and said most of the deceased were daily-wage labourers who consumed liquor adulterated with methanol.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased while the local civic body has sanctioned an additional Rs 1 lakh in aid, he said.

"The death toll has reached 17-18. These people belonged to economically weaker sections and consumed this liquor as it was available cheap," the minister said.

Additional Director General Sunil Ramanand of the Criminal Investigation Department -- which is probing the case - told PTI that so far 15 people - 11 from Pimpri Chinchwad and four from Hadapsar - have died after consuming the toxic liquor.

Mahajan said that local representatives have assured employment to one member from each affected family. "After the CID inquiry report is submitted, stringent action will be taken against all those responsible," he said, adding that the chief minister has ordered a statewide crackdown on illicit liquor trade.

"Any officer found neglecting responsibility in this regard will face action irrespective of rank," he said.

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration, meanwhile, traced the source of the methanol added to the liquor consumed by the victims.

An FDA team raided Rex International in Bhiwandi on Friday and seized 5,929 kg of methanol as the firm failed to produce ledger entries or mandatory verification details under the Poisons Act, officials said.

Police have arrested Karnelsingh Takhtsingh Virka (73), Gurmangatsingh Karnelsingh Virka (45), Yogesh Ramchandra Wankhede (23), Radhesham Hariram Prajapati (35), Indarjit Kaur Karnelsingh Virka (60) and Kalpesh Agrawal (29) in the case.

Karnal Singh Virka allegedly procured the liquor from Wankhede who had procured the lethal substance from Prajapati of Uruli Kanchan.

The owners of Rex International, Arun Kumar Choubey and Abhishek Asan Kumar Choubey, have already been taken into custody by the State Excise Department.

As per an order issued by the Pune police commissionerate, senior police inspector Sanjay Mogale, attached to the Hadapsar police station, assistant police inspector Hasina Sikalgar and sub-inspector Hasan Mulani were suspended for failing to curb the illegal sale of spurious liquor in Hadapsar area.

Six officers of Pimpri Chinchwad police, including a senior inspector, a sub-inspector and four constables from Dapodi police station, were also suspended.

The excise department placed 13 personnel, including three inspectors, six sub-inspectors and four staffers, under suspension, superintendent Atul Kanade said.