Gujarat spurious liquor case death toll rises to 13; three remain hospitalised

The death toll in the Bhavnagar spurious liquor case rose to 13 on Sunday after two more people died during treatment, while three others remained hospitalised in stable condition, officials said.

Bhavnagar collector Manish Bansal said Bhargavbhai Upadhyay (42) and Mukeshbhai Manilal Damor (36), both residents of Bhavnagar, died during treatment on Sunday.

Three people remain under treatment — two at Sir T Hospital and one at Pulse Hospital. All three are stable, officials added.

A total of 61 people have been affected in the incident, officials said.

Gujarat is a dry state, where the manufacture, sale and consumption of liquor are prohibited under the state’s prohibition law.

The liquor was first consumed at a party at a farmhouse in Kharakadi village on the night of August 16, according to the FIR. Yadav fell ill after consuming the liquor and was admitted to a hospital in Bhavnagar on August 17. He died during treatment on August 18.

Also Read: Gujarat SMC arrests 13, detains MP-based key suspect for toxic liquor that killed 7

The case was initially registered at Vartej police station as an accidental death case on August 18. During the investigation, police found that more people had died and suffered serious injuries after consuming spurious liquor. Gujarat DGP GS Malik then handed the investigation to the SMC.

Key accused Raees was arrested on Friday and remanded in police custody for nine days, taking the total number of arrests to 14, officials said. Police have registered cases against 21 accused.

The FIR alleges that Raees, Gautam Virambhai Solanki (24) of Vartej, and Zuber of Ujjain travelled to Ahmedabad to procure methanol, bottles, caps and liquor stickers. They allegedly prepared spurious liquor at Solanki’s house.

According to the FIR, the accused first prepared around 51 cases of spurious liquor and sold them. They destroyed a second batch, after which Raees allegedly brought Narendra Singh Yadav from Madhya Pradesh because of his expertise in preparing liquor. The group then allegedly prepared around 25 more cases and supplied them to bootleggers and consumers in Bhavnagar.

Yadav was admitted to a Bhavnagar hospital on August 17 after consuming the liquor and died during treatment on August 18, according to the FIR.

The FIR alleges that methanol was used to prepare the spurious liquor. A seized bottle contained 38.59% methanol and 0.94% ethanol, while methanol was detected in blood samples collected from victims.

Two police inspectors and five other police personnel were suspended after a preliminary investigation found negligence.