Bhavnagar: Two persons have died and 19 others have been hospitalised after consuming spurious liquor in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district, officials said on Wednesday.
Four bootleggers have been detained in this connection, they said.
Gujarat is a ‘dry’ state where manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol are banned.
Bhavnagar Collector Manish Kumar said that two persons have died and 19 others have been hospitalised after consuming liquor from duplicate bottles of an IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) brand.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Nitesh Pandey said a group of people consumed liquor from a “duplicate” bottle of an IMFL brand at Kharakdi village a few days back, after which their health deteriorated.
A man subsequently died, and six others were admitted to various hospitals in Bhavnagar for treatment, he said.
Another person died in suspicious circumstances at Sir T Hospital, and the exact cause of his death was being verified, Nilam Bagh police station inspector DP Udankat said.
Bootleggers from Vartej and other police station areas in the city have been detained, SP Pandey told reporters.
“Upendrasinh Gohil, a resident of Kharakdi village, died at Sir T Hospital (government hospital at Bhavnagar). Six other persons are admitted to Sir T and two-three other hospitals in the city and are undergoing treatment,” he said.
The examination of these people has shown a common pattern that most of them consumed alcohol from the duplicate liquor bottles, after which their health deteriorated, the official said.
Preliminary investigation suggests that these bottles were supplied from Madhya Pradesh, and further investigation was underway into aspects like from where exactly they were brought, how they were produced, and who sent them here, he said.
“After enquiring with these people, we deputed different police teams that used technical surveillance and human assistance to detain four bootleggers who were part of the supply chain of the duplicate IMFL brand bottles. Further legal action is underway,” he said.
Many bottles of the same brand have been seized from these people, and efforts are underway to apprehend other bootleggers involved in the supply of spurious liquor, the official said.
A team from the forensic science laboratory (FSL) was also involved in the scientific investigation, he added.
The SP appealed to other people who had consumed alcohol from duplicate liquor bottles to consult a doctor even if they had not suffered from any adverse health condition.
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