Bhavnagar, August 28: The Gujarat police’s State Monitoring Cell (SMC) has traced the source of the methanol used in the toxic liquor tragedy to Delhi. Three more suspects from the national capital have been arrested, bringing the total number of arrests to 31.
According to officials, Pramod Kumar Budakoti, a resident of Delhi, allegedly supplied methanol illegally to two others from Delhi, Rohit Pradhan and Keshav Jatav.
These two reportedly arranged for the chemical to be transported to a warehouse of a transport company in Ahmedabad through other accomplices.
With assistance from the Delhi police, SMC teams apprehended all three individuals. The police stated, “The process of taking them on transit remand and bringing them to Gujarat is underway.”
These arrests are part of an investigation into the manufacturing and distribution of methanol-laced counterfeit liquor in Bhavnagar district, which has resulted in 13 fatalities.
The police reported that 31 suspects have been arrested so far. The investigation began on August 18 when an accidental death case was registered under the jurisdiction of the Vartej police station.
Subsequent findings revealed the involvement of methanol in the toxic liquor, leading to cases being filed against 21 suspects under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 2023, and the Gujarat Prohibition Act.
At the directive of Director General of Police (DGP) G.S. Malik, the investigation was assigned to the SMC, led by Police Inspector S.M. Jadeja.
To detect contaminated liquor and prevent further loss of life, the SMC formed multiple teams to identify those who received the liquor supply.
Sixteen teams were deployed across various districts in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat to identify and arrest the suspects and gather evidence.
Additionally, the police have initiated disciplinary action against seven employees accused of negligence in connection with this incident.
The SMC continues to investigate this extensive network, which involves purchasing chemicals, transporting them to Gujarat, producing toxic liquor, and distributing it.
Authorities indicate that as investigators trace the supply chain and gather more evidence, further arrests may occur.
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