Pune hooch tragedy: Maharashtra FDA traces methanol source; 5,929-kg stock seized in raid

In a major breakthrough in the Pune hooch tragedy probe the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration FDA has traced the source of the methanol allegedly used to adulterate spurious liquor leading to raids and multiple arrestsThe FDA conducted raids on premises linked to Shri Rex International which operates an office in Vashi Navi Mumbai and a warehouse in Bhiwandi During the operation officials seized 5929 kilograms of methanol that was allegedly being stored illegallyThe probe revealed that methanol a highly toxic chemical used in industrial applications had been mixed with the liquor consumed by the victims Police have arrested Karnelsingh Takhtsingh Virka 73 Gurmangatsingh Karnelsingh Virka 45 Yogesh Ramchandra Wankhede 23 Radhesham Hariram Prajapati 35 Indarjit Kaur Karnelsingh Virka 60 and Kalpesh Agrawal 29 in connection with the caseInvestigators alleged that Karnelsingh Virka procured the liquor from Wankhede who sourced the methanol from Prajapati of Uruli Kanchan in Pune districtThe owners of Rex International Arun Kumar Choubey and Abhishek Arun Kumar Choubey have already been taken into custody by the State Excise DepartmentAn FDA team raided Rex Internationals Bhiwandi premises on Friday Investigators were reportedly unable to find records relating to the storage purchase or sale of methanol No stock registers ledger entries or mandatory verification documents required under the Poisons Act were available at the premises officials saidNo leniency against those endangering public health FDA chiefTo prevent any further misuse of the toxic substance the entire stock was seized and sealedA complaint has been lodged at Narpoli Police Station in Bhiwandi against Arun Kumar Choubey and Abhishek Arun Kumar Choubey Police have registered a case against the duo while the FDA has issued a showcause notice and initiated proceedings to cancel the companys licence under the provisions of the Poisons ActAccording to investigators the toxic liquor consumed by the victims was being sold for as little as Rs 30 per bottleOfficials said the victims had allegedly consumed the illicit liquor at the residence of Karnelsingh Virka in the Phugewadi areaFollowing the findings of the investigation Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe ordered immediate action against those involved in the illegal storage and distribution of the chemicalSpeaking on the crackdown Mundhe said the administration would show no leniency toward any individual or organisation found endangering public health He emphasised that access to safe food and medicines is a fundamental right of every citizen and assured strict enforcement of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 along with other relevant lawsDeath toll rises 22 officials suspended over illegal liquor tradeMeanwhile Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan on Saturday said the death toll in the spurious liquor tragedy in Pune and neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad had risen to 17 or 18 A senior police official however said the toll stood at 15Mahajan who visited the families of the victims termed the incident very painful and said most of the victims were dailywage labourers who consumed liquor adulterated with methanol Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the victims while the local civic body has sanctioned an additional Rs 1 lakh in aid he saidThe death toll has reached 1718 These people belonged to economically weaker sections and consumed this liquor as it was available cheap the minister statedThe Maharashtra government has also suspended 22 police and excise department personnel for failing to act against the illegal liquor tradeWith IANS and PTI inputs