Illegal vends, gangster funds & doorstep delivery: How hooch business thrives in Yamunanagar
The nexus is behind the spurious liquor tragedy that rocked the state this Diwali claiming lives of at least 20 people in Yamunanagar and Ambala district
Booze supplied via illegal makeshift outlets, with contractors getting funding from gangsters and doorstep delivery– this is how the liquor mafia operates and thrives in the industrial town of Yamunanagar.
The nexus is behind the spurious liquor tragedy that rocked the state this Diwali claiming lives of at least 20 people.
In Mandebari village of Farakpur area, which is the epicentre of this tragedy, eight families lost their men to hooch that was made at an illegal distillery in bordering Ambala district.
In the neighbouring Panjeto Ka Majra, which is on the other side of Jagadhari railway station, spurious liquor claimed the lives of four men.
There are several makeshift illegal vends, locally called ‘khurda’, that primarily sell ‘desi daru’ supplied by the contractors. The ‘khurdas’, sources said, are strategically located in between villages, mostly on farmlands but are not counted under the areas allocated to the contractors.
However, they receive supplies from the contractors dominating the area and there are often scuffles over supremacy between them, a liquor contractor from Karnal, wishing not to be named, said.
Jaipal Bhagat, a resident of Panjeto Ka Majra, claimed that desi liquor is often delivered by men in the villages or at the doorstep, and there are several households involved in the business within the villages.
The spurious liquor in the two villages, and in Saran, Manglaur and Phoosgarh, from where deaths have been reported so far, was supplied by a vend in Phoosgarh village registered in the name of one Mahender, a driver, SP Ganga Ram Punia said.
Well-oiled network
Speaking to HT, Punia said the vend was operated by four partners Gaurav Bubka, Amarnath, Tinku Kamboj and Mange Ram Marupur, a delegate from Yamunanagar with Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee and an aide of former state president Kumari Selja. Mange Ram was suspended on orders of state president Udai Bhan on Monday.
“We were able to reach Mahender through accused Rocky and Ramesh, alias Bhindi, who died on Monday due to suspected consumption of spurious liquor. Further, it was established that Mahender was in agreement with accused Pardeep and Kapil, who were further connected with Ankit, alias Mougli,” he told.
The gangster angle
Punia further disclosed that gangster Shamsher Singh, alias Monu Rana, a resident of Thambar village and currently lodged in a Haryana Jail, was also funding the liquor business in Phoosgarh village.
“We are currently focusing on preventing more deaths, seizure of illegal stock and probing the prime accused with the collection of ample evidence. We will ask the excise department to meet the contractors and ask them not to supply to khurdas. We have ensured the closure of all khurdas and with the help of villagers and sarpanch, we will ensure that they don’t re-start operations,” he said.
Jaipal Bhagat said most of the men who died in his village were from Scheduled Caste (SC) community and daily wagers, while another native, wishing not to be named, said his fellow villagers were alcoholics and being financially deprived, they were dependent only on cheap liquor as it was easily available.
The investigators also confirmed that among the deceased was one Sushil Kumar of Saran village, who was supplied the liquor by his brother Rajesh Kumar, a ‘khurda’ manager and an accused arrested by the police.
Punia said autopsies of 10 victims have been conducted, six couldn’t be done as their cremation was already carried out, while others were still pending. Five men are still undergoing treatment at different hospitals.
BOX
Kingpin arrested, sent to 6-day police remand
Ambala A week after 20 men lost their lives to spurious liquor prepared at an illegal unit in Ambala, the police on Tuesday arrested the kingpin of the racket, Ankit alias Mougli, a resident of Ugala village in Ambala.
Confirming the arrest from the Kala Amb area by CIA Shahzadpur, SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa said Ankit was presented in a court that granted police his six-day remand.
Ankit was accused of preparing the illicit liquor with the sticker of “Malta” brand and batch number “November 16, 2021” at the illegal unit in Dhanoura village of the Mullana area.
The unit was raided by Ambala police on November 8 and several recoveries were made, after the first death was reported in Yamunanagar. So far, 17 accused have been arrested in the case.