Maharashtra Liquor Tragedy: A terrible tragedy has shocked Maharashtra. At least 15 people have died and many others are in serious condition in the hospital after drinking poisonous, fake liquor.
These deaths happened in busy residential and factory areas of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The local police and the State Excise Department have started a massive investigation to catch the people who made and sold this toxic alcohol.
Doctors say that the victims were poisoned by dangerous chemicals. Many of them started vomiting and foaming at the mouth just a few minutes after drinking the liquor.
Number of Deaths in Different Areas of Pune
Maharashtra Liquor Tragedy: The poisonous liquor was sold and consumed in specific neighborhoods where daily wage workers live. According to the government authorities, the deaths took place in these areas:
Pimpri-Chinchwad (Dapodi and Phugewadi areas): 8 people died.
Pune City (Kale Padal area): 3 people died.
Pune City (Hadapsar area): 4 people died.
The police have identified some of the people who died in Pune as Rahul Sharad Kshirsagar (45), Vijay Bhukurlal Sharma (45), Arun Vaman Dadar, Yashwant, and Ashok Ramesh Chavan.
Those who died in Pimpri-Chinchwad include Pandurang Sadashiv Phuge (57), Vijay Prakash Rathod (31), Rajendra Prakash Rathod (34), Rajendra Rajput (51), Akbar Pathan (52), Anand Desai (53), and Ananda Nikalje (35).
Most of the victims were poor laborers and the only earning members of their families.
Main Accused Arrested: How the Liquor Became Poison
Maharashtra Liquor Tragedy: After people suddenly started dying, the police arrested the main suspect, a well-known illegal alcohol seller named Yogesh Wankhede.
The police revealed that Wankhede already has many criminal cases against him for selling illegal liquor in the past.
Investigators explained how the crime happened. A local illegal maker named Radheshyam Prajapati first brewed the country liquor in a village called Uruli Kanchan.
Wankhede then transported it to different cities. To make the liquor extra strong and highly intoxicating, Wankhede mixed a highly dangerous chemical called methanol into the liquid.
“Wankhede mixed toxic methanol into the liquor and filled 24 large drums. He then sent them to local illegal shops in Dapodi, Phugewadi, and Hadapsar.
We have seized 18 of these drums so far to save other people’s lives,” said State Excise Superintendent Atul Kanade.
The police have also arrested Karnelsingh Virka and his son Gurmangatsingh Virka. They were running the illegal liquor shops in Phugewadi and selling this poison directly to the people.
Shocking Eye-Witness Accounts and Public Anger
The families of the victims are in deep shock and described how fast the poison worked.
A relative from the Pandhare Mala area in Pune said that three people from their family Arun, Rahul, and Yashwant started vomiting terribly within just 10 minutes of drinking the alcohol.
They were crying in pain with severe stomach aches before collapsing.
This incident has made the local public very angry. Large crowds and social workers gathered outside the Hadapsar police station to protest.
They are blaming the local police for not shutting down these illegal liquor shops that were operating openly in slum areas.
Government Orders Strict Action Against the Criminals
Looking at the seriousness of the tragedy, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered an immediate high-level inquiry.
He has strictly told the Police Commissioners of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad to catch every single person involved in this illegal business.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad police have registered a case under serious sections of the law, including Section 105 (causing death by negligence/knowledge) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Prohibition Act.
The investigation has now been handed over to the Crime Branch.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar assured the public that body samples of the victims have been sent to the Forensic Laboratory for testing, and they will ensure that the guilty people get the harshest punishment.
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