Maharashtra Spurious Liquor Tragedy Leaves 13 Dead in Pune

Five more deaths were reported in Pune city, and three were from Kale Padal and two from Hadapsar. Local residents attribute the deaths to the consumption of street-level illegal and toxic liquor sold in the area. Police officials said that the exact cause of death will only be determined after forensic and post-mortem reports are made. Authorities advised people to refrain from spreading rumours until medical investigations are completed, authorities said. Investigators learned that others claimed to have similar symptoms before they collapsed. 

They also suffered from complaints of dizziness, difficulty breathing, frothing at the mouth, feeling ill-at-ease, agitation and a sudden drop in heart rate. Those symptoms are frequently attributed to methanol toxicity, a hazardous chemical occasionally mixed with illegal liquor. The police believe that close to 215 litres of methanol could have been mixed with country liquor, which was distributed throughout Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Methanol is extremely hazardous and even small doses can cause blindness, organ failure or death. 

The investigation unearthed, on the one hand, what seems to be a large illegal liquor production and distribution network operating in Pune district. The investigation has been turned to Yogesh Wankhede, an alleged bootlegger with criminal records. Across Pune, police were able to conduct raids at several linkages in the liquor supply chain while identifying and arresting multiple suspects. Police teams are now tracking distributors, suppliers and the exact source of the seized liquor. Not all deaths might be attributed to alcohol use, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police, however, said. Preliminary investigations on family members of four deceased individuals indicated that they were not alcohol drinkers and one was a regular drinker, according to one witness. Officers said each case was being studied independently. 

They are asking citizens not to push rumors or panic until official reports arrive. And the incident has sounded alarm bells about monitoring and regulation of methanol sales in Maharashtra. Experts think inadequate monitoring of industrial chemicals might have played a role in the death toll. Regulators, including the FDA, will probably become subject to inquiries on supervision and safety inspections. 

A tragic reminder yet again of the perils of buying illegal liquor and a pressing necessity to enforce tougher enforcement of bootlegging schemes. As investigations proceed, the families of the victims are making demands for the firm enforcement of punishment against the perpetrators of the deadly supply. As post-mortem and forensic reports go up, details are expected to emerge, authorities said.