As many as four persons died, while 19 others have been admitted to various hospitals in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district after they allegedly consumed spurious liquor at Kharkadi village in Ghogha Taluka, according to police. The suspected liquor poisoning has triggered a major crackdown by the police, who claimed to have arrested four bootleggers and detained several others for interrogation. 

The incident was reported after people who attended a liquor party on the night of August 16 began developing serious health complications. Notably, Gujarat is a dry state, where the manufacture, sale and consumption of liquor are prohibited under the state’s law. 

Duplicate liquor bottles under scanner

A preliminary probe by police suggests that a bootlegger from Vartej and one of his aides belonging to Madhya Pradesh allegedly joined hands to make quick money by selling spurious liquor. 

The police suspect that substandard liquor had been filled into the bottles bearing the Royal Stag label, was mixed with water and was sold as genuine liquor. Officials aware of the case said the suspected liquor had allegedly been supplied from Madhya Pradesh. 

The cops are persevering in efforts to ascertain its source, the distribution network and the number of bottles sold across Bhavnagar. 

Police added that they have seized 15 of 28 boxes reportedly brought from MP’s Ujjain and are on the lookout for the remaining 13 boxes. Authorities fear that the illicit supply network may extend beyond the original gathering at Kharkadi. 

Victims hail from different areas

Among the ones who are affected are people belonging to Bharatnagar, Akwada and Talaja Road, besides Kharkadi, Nana Khokara and Devgana villages. Meanwhile, the ones who died have been identified as Upendrasinh Chandrasinh Gohil of Kharkadi (25), Kartik Ashwinbhai Makwana (40) of Talaja Road and Narendrasinh Yadav, a native of MP’s Indore. Meanwhile, the identity of the fourth victim, according to police, has not been established yet. 

SDM Akshar Vyas said the administration had received information about 20 people undergoing treatment, including 12 at Bhavnagar Civil Hospital, five at Arogyaam Hospital, one at BIMS and two at Ved ICU, 

Forensic tests to be conducted to establish cause

However, authorities have cautioned that the exact cause behind the death in two cases is still under probe. Liquor samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory to determine their chemical composition and establish whether toxic substances caused the illnesses and deaths.

The State Monitoring Cell has taken over the probe, and the wing’s SP Mayur Chavda was sent to Bhavnagar following a late-night meeting between senior officials on August 18. According to a statement issued by police, around 90% of the suspected liquor distributed through the syndicate had been recovered, while efforts were on to trace the remaining stock and identify its source.