Spl manhunt to eliminate sale of spurious liquor: DGP Sylendra Babu

CHENNAI: After 12 persons died consuming spurious liquor in two separate incidents in Villupuram and Chengalpattu districts on late Saturday and Sunday in north Tamil Nadu, head of the TN police force, DGP C Sylendra Babu on Monday issued orders to conduct a special search operation to trace and eradicate the sale of spurious liquor in the State.

The DGP has ordered the District SP, Commissioner, and Prohibition and Enforcement Wing (PWD) officers to go on a search operation. He also issued an order to find out if the methanol in the factory, hospital, and laboratory is used to prepare the spurious alcohol, sources said.

N Kannan, IG, North Zone on Monday said to News Agency ANI, "In both incidents, a few accused are absconding, and special teams are formed to nab the accused. In both cases industries usable poison liquor has been used. 3 inspectors and 4 sub-inspectors have been suspended from both districts for not doing their duty in connection with spurious liquor:"

Six people died and more than 33 persons were hospitalised from Marakkanam in Villupuram district, while 5 persons hospitalised near Maduranthakam in Chengalpattu district of which four persons died on Sunday evening.

On Sunday, a senior police officer in the State said, "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 Chengalpattu had consumed a diluted industrial spirit. We have not got the sample of the liquor consumed in the Chengalpattu incident yet. We are probing if both the incidents are related.”

State Police also have not ruled out any connection between the deaths in the two incidents and are probing if the victims had consumed similar drinks since Marakkanam and Maduranthakam are only 50 km apart. Police also brushed aside versions claiming that the deaths were due to consuming liquor procured from Tasmac as rumours.

According to the police, Residents of Ekkiyar Kuppam fishing hamlet near Marakkanam had consumed the hooch on Saturday evening. Within a few hours, several of them had complained of uneasy feelings 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 a few hours, G Dharanivel (50), another villager too died. Several others are admitted for treatment in different hospitals in the area, police said.

On Sunday, three - Rajamoorthy (55) 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 spurious liquor.

Villupuram Police on Sunday arrested one person, V Amaran (27) for allegedly procuring the hooch for the victims, and seized the spurious liquor. Police have also detained Ammavasai (40) of Kariyanthangal who sold the liquor to the victims in Chengalpattu.

Police Inspector Arul Vadivazhagan of Marakkanam police station, PEW (Prohibition and Enforcement Wing) Inspector, Maria Sophi Manjula, and two sub-inspectors -- Seenuvasan and Sivagurunathan, Inspector Prem Anand of Mel Maruvathur Police Station, Sub Inspectors, Mohanasundaram (Sithamur), and Ramesh (Maduranthagam PEW) have been placed under suspension.

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

Meanwhile, 22 people have been arrested in Cuddalore for selling spurious liquor in the last 24 hours. The district police have informed that a case has been registered against 88 persons.