Kallakurichi hooch tragedy: Owners of plant that supplied methanol remanded in judicial custody

CHENNAI: In yet another breakthrough in the hooch incident, Kallakurichi District Principal Sessions Court and Chief Criminal Arbitration Court remanded seven owners of the plant which reportedly supplied methanol to illicit liquor dealers, in 15 days judicial custody. At least 58 persons from Karunapuram area of the district have died after consuming 'paper arrack' with methanol last week.

According to Thanthi TV, plant owners, Sivakumar, Pensilal, Gautham, Sadayan, Ravi, Senthil, and Ezhumalai, who had appeared before the court were remanded in judicial custody for 15 days for CB-CID probe.

The methanol was reportedly supplied by Shree Enterprises Chemicals in Madhavaram, Chennai. On Sunday midnight, the owners of the Madhavaram plant were arrested including Sivakumar, who is suspected to have supplied methanol to Madhesh of Puducherry who in turn passed it to the bootleggers involved in the Kallakurichi incident. He was nabbed from Chennai where he was hiding.

The death toll in the hooch tragedy in Kallakurichi district rose to 58, with one more person succumbing on Monday morning while over 80 people are still hospitalised for treatment.

(With inputs from Bureau)