Two die after consuming spurious liquor in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar; four bootleggers held

Bhavnagar, Aug 19 (IANS) Two people have been confirmed dead, and 17 others were undergoing treatment after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar, with police detaining four suspected bootleggers and tracing the supply of the counterfeit liquor to Madhya Pradesh.

The two confirmed deaths are those of Upendrasinh Gohil, a resident of Kharkhadi village under Vartej police station, and Narendra Singh Yadav, who was from Indore.

Police had initially said they were investigating Yadav’s death and that no official report had been received, but an update on Wednesday confirmed his death.

A third death has also been mentioned by officials as a suspected case, with further details awaited.

The incident came to light after a group reportedly consumed liquor during a gathering in the farm area of Kharkhadi village two days ago.

Their health subsequently deteriorated, and some of them remained unconscious for hours.

Gohil was taken to a hospital in Bhavnagar, where he died during treatment. Other affected people were shifted to different private hospitals in the city, while one person was reportedly taken to a private hospital outside the district.

Bhavnagar Superintendent of Police Nitesh Pandey said eight patients were being treated at the Civil Hospital and nine at five private hospitals, taking the number of patients under treatment to 17.

“The condition of all those admitted was currently stable,” he said. Police said preliminary questioning of patients indicated that most had consumed liquor from the bottles with duplicate brand.

Samples of the suspected counterfeit liquor have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination.

The exact chemical or substance mixed in the liquor will be known only after the FSL and medical reports are received. “We are currently investigating where the duplicate liquor recovered so far came from and to whom it was being supplied,” Pandey said.

The police have formed separate teams from the Bhavnagar Local Crime Branch, Special Operations Group and local police to investigate the case.

Four to five suspected bootleggers have so far been detained, including alleged main supplier Gautam Solanki and other sub-suppliers.

Police said they have recovered around 90 per cent of the liquor and other material believed to have been supplied through the network.

According to preliminary findings, the counterfeit liquor had come from Madhya Pradesh, with the investigation focusing on how it reached Bhavnagar and where it was distributed.

Police said further action would be taken against those found involved in selling and supplying the fake bottles.

Pandey appealed to anyone who had consumed the suspected liquor, particularly those who had consumed the brand during the previous two to three days, to visit a doctor or the nearest hospital even if they had only minor concerns about their health.

Police also appealed to people with information about those selling the counterfeit bottles to contact the local police.

The Bhavnagar Collector visited the government hospital following the incident and checked the availability of medicines and treatment facilities.

Police have also conducted raids in other parts of the district and registered cases against bootleggers, with further investigation into the wider supply network continuing.

The investigation has been reportedly handed over to the State Monitoring Cell (SMC), while police continue to trace the source and distribution chain of the suspected counterfeit liquor.

–IANS

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