Spurious liquor kills 10 people in TN; several hospitalised

CHENNAI: Ten persons including three women died in Tamil Nadu after consuming spurious liquor in two separate incidents in Villupuram and Chengelpet districts on late Saturday.

While six people have died and more than 33 persons are hospitalised from Marakkanam in Villupuram district, four persons have died near Maduranthakam in Chengelpet district as on Sunday evening.

Since Marakkanam and Maduranthakam are only 50 kms apart, Tamil Nadu Police have not ruled out any connection between the deaths in two incidents and are probing if the victims had consumed similar drinks.

"Preliminary investigations have led us to believe that the victims might have consumed methanol mixed industrial spirit. In Villupuram, the victims have consumed hooch, while the victims in Chengelpet had consumed a diluted industrial spirit. We have not got the sample of the liquor consumed in the Chengelpet incident yet. We are probing if both the incidents are related, " said a senior police officer in the state.

Police brushed aside versions claiming that the deaths were due to consuming liquor procured from Tasmac as rumours.

In all, seven policemen have been suspended following the tragic deaths.

According to the police, Residents of Ekkiyar Kuppam fishing hamlet near Marakkanam had consumed the hooch on Saturday evening. Within few hours, several of them had complained of uneasy feeling and visited the local hospital. They were then referred to hospitals in Puducherry and Villupuram, where two persons, P Suresh (46) and S Shankar (52) died. Within few hours, G Dharanivel (50), another villager too died. Several others are admitted for treatment in different hospitals in the area, police said.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, three - D Raja Murthy (60) Mannagatti (50) and Malar Vizhi (70) too died, taking the death toll to six in Marakkanam. The deaths attracted censure from the locals who demanded government action against those who sell illicit liquor.

Villupuram Police on Sunday arrested one person, V Amaran (27) for allegedly procuring the hooch for the victims. Police sources said that Amaran has been supplying hooch to the villagers for a few years now. Five special teams have been formed to trace his accomplices.

Police Inspector Arul Vadivazhagan of Marakkanam police station, PEW (Prohibition and Enforcement Wing) Inspector, Maria Sophi Manjula and two sub-inspectors, Seenuvasan and Sivagurunathan have been placed under suspension.

Near Maduranthagam in Chengelpet district, four persons including a couple, a man and his mother-in-law have died while a woman is under treatment. The victims are identified as Chinnathambi (34), his mother-in-law, Vasantha (40) of Perukkaranai village and Venniyappan (65) and Chandra (55) of Perambakkam.

Chinnathambi's wife, Anjalai (22) is under treatment at a hospital. All four of them had died in their houses, Police said. Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims had consumed industrial spirit.

Police have detained Ammavasai (40) of Kariyanthangal who sold the spirit to the victims. Ammavasai too had consumed the said spirit and has not been affected as on Sunday, police said.

Inspector Prem Anand of Mel Maruvathur Police station, Sub Inspectors, Mohanasundaram (Sithamur) and Ramesh (Maduranthagam PEW) have been placed under suspension.