NEW DELHI: Police have intensified investigation into an illicit liquor network in the Pune district after 18 people died in the last 48 hours following the consumption of methanol-laced alcohol.
While 13 people died in Pimpri Chinchwad’s Phugewadi and Dapodi, five died in Pune’s Hadapsar and Kalepadal after allegedly consuming the liquor. While the police earlier tied the deaths to unrelated illnesses, a common factor between all the victims’ were the symptoms of severe dizziness and abdominal pain. These are consistent with the initial signs of liquor poisoning.
Post-mortem reports were later received by the police, following which they began the process of registering cases under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 123 (causing hurt by means of harmful substances with intent to commit a crime), along with other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Prohibition Act.
A man named Yogesh Wankhede emerged as a key link in the case and was arrested after he surrendered before the authorities. Questioning revealed he had supplied the chemical-laced liquor in the Pune city and Pimpri Chinchwad areas. Atul Kanade, Superintendent of Police of the State Excise Department, stated that the accused allegedly mixed the toxic chemical methanol into the liquor, resulting in multiple deaths. He is being questioned further to identify others involved in the illicit liquor network.
Vinay Chaube, Police Commissioner, Pimpri-Chinchwad City, said that apart from Wankhede, five accused are currently in police custody, while two others are in the custody of the State Excise Department. The investigation was later handed over to the Crime Branch.
Locals claim that illicit country liquor was being sold rampantly in the Dapodi, Phugewadi, and Hadapsar areas, with the police and excise officials looking the other way.
Grieving family members of the victims recounted the horror. “Five people from this locality (Pune’s Pandhare Mala) were affected. All of them lived here. Three of them were from our family – Arun, Rahul and Yashwant. Soon after consuming the liquor, they started vomiting within about 10 minutes and complained of severe stomach pain. This happened yesterday,” the family member told IANS.
Another victim Arun Vaman Dadar’s daughter said, “He consumed alcohol regularly and used to drink day and night. After drinking, he would often skip meals and fall asleep. Yesterday, he returned after work and consumed liquor again. He had experienced dizziness four or five times earlier as well, but we never imagined it would become so serious. He used to consume country-made liquor.”
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken serious note of the tragedy and directed police commissioners in both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad to take strict action against those responsible. He has instructed officials to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that nobody involved in the racket escapes punishment.
