Thanjai Tasmac deaths: 5 spl teams headed by DSPs begin probe

TIRUCHY: Day after the death of two persons, reportedly after consuming cyanide-laced liquor bought from a Tasmac outlet, five special teams each headed by a DSP was formed on Monday to trace the route of the poison and step up investigations.

As soon as the incident of death was reported, Thanjavur East police registered a case and picked up the bar owner Baskar, who is also the Congress District vice president, for interrogation while the RDO (in-charge) Palanivel along with the police sealed the bar on Sunday night.

As per the post-mortem report, Collector Dinesh Ponraj Oliver and SP Ashish Rawat confirmed that there was traces of cyanide and further told the reporters that the deceased Vivek was living separately after a dispute with his wife and the other victim Kuppusamy also had some family problems.

Still, the SP ordered to form five special teams each headed by DSPs Prathvi Chauhan (Pattukkottai), Jaffer Siddique (Tiruvidaimarudur), Prabhu (Tiruvarur), Rajkumar (Prevention of Crime against Women) and Raja (Thanjavur Town) and they would be monitored by the ADSPs Jayachandran and Muthamizh Selvan.

The teams commenced investigations immediately. They also conducted inquiries with the family members of the deceased and the workers in the bar.

Meanwhile, the kin of the deceased who refused to accept the bodies charged that the police were diverting the incident by making a ‘false claim’ of consuming cyanide-laced liquor. They also demanded compensation and a government job for one of the family members.

BJP state general secretary Karuppu Muruganandam, district president Jai Sathish visited the family members of the deceased in the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital. BJP state president K Annamalai spoke to Kuppusamy’s wife over the phone and consoled her. “Both the deceased Vivek and Kuppusamy are not relatives and so there is a doubt about the mixing of cyanide in the liquor. We suspect the state government has been trying to divert the incident and hide the reality,” charged Muruganandam.

Tasmac workers suspended

In the meantime, the Tasmac administration suspended the supervisor of the outlet Muruganandam, salesmen Sathyaseelan, Thirunavukkarasu and Balu.