2015 hooch tragedy: Court finds four guilty of procuring, selling spurious liquor in Malvani

Four men found guilty in Mumbai's worst hooch tragedy that killed 106 people. They face maximum punishment of life imprisonment. Ten others acquitted.

MUMBAI: Nine years after 106 people from Malvani’s Laxmi Nagar slums died and 75 suffered injuries, with some losing eyesight permanently, in the worst-ever hooch tragedy in the city, a sessions court on Monday found four men guilty of procuring and selling contaminated liquor in Malvani area for ₹10 to ₹20 per piece. The court also cleared 10 others of all charges and will sentence the convicts on May 6.

The court of additional sessions judge Amar Jeet Singh found the accused guilty under both charges and awarded him 20-year rigorous imprisonment. (HT File)

Additional sessions judge SD Tawshikar said it was a tragic incident, which caused the death of 106 persons and injuries to around 75, including permanent loss of eyesight to some of them.

“They used to bring some chemicals from Gujarat and sell them here to vendors. Accused number 1, 3, 5 and 8 are proven to have been involved in criminal conspiracy,” said the judge while holding bootleggers Raju Tapkar aka Raju Langda and Donald Patel, country liquor distributor Francis Thomas D’mello and the prime hooch supplier Mansur Khan aka Atiq aka Rahul Bhai accountable for the tragedy.

According to special prosecutor Pradip D Gharat, Raju Langda and Donald Patel ran the dens where the victims had consumed the poisonous concoction. Malvani-based country liquor distributor Francis Thomas D’mello had supplied them the hooch. The surplus industrial Methanol in turn was being brought by Mansur Khan from Gujarat and distributed amongst city distributors like Francis.

The court said while pronouncing the judgement that the prosecution had proved that Mansur Khan procured the chemicals from Gujarat, brought it to the city and distributed the same to 7/8 illicit liquor vendors.

The four convicts are found guilty of committing offences punishable under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 304(II) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code and for breach of relevant sections of the Bombay Prohibition Act. They now face maximum punishment of life imprisonment under section 326 of the IPC.

The court, however, acquitted ten others prosecuted in the case and rejected the prosecution’s claim that all the accused were linked in a criminal conspiracy. “Analysis of the evidence of nearly 240 witnesses does not define a clear chain of evidence. The prosecution has failed to prove the involvement of all the accused in a criminal conspiracy,” said the court while acquitting the remaining 10 accused.

On June 18, 2015, residents of Laxmi Nagar slums in Malvani who had consumed contaminated liquor developed respiratory problems, nausea and diarrhoea. Within a week, 106 of them died. Forty-odd people who were hospitalised with similar symptoms survived the tragedy. Over a year after the incident, the Mumbai crime branch arrested 14 people, including suppliers, distributors and dealers of the spurious liquor - industrial methanol diluted by mixing water.

The accused were identified as Raju Tapkir alias Langda, Gautum Arade, Donald Patel, Francis D’mello, Salimuddhin Shaikh alias Jental, Mamta Rathod, Agnes Grasis, Mansoor Khan alias Aatiq, Kishor Patel, Prakash Bhai alias Lala alias Gurubhai Patel, Liladhar Patel, Geeta alias Simran Saiyad, Subhash Giri and Bharatbhai Patel. Two others were absconding.

According to the chargesheet filed by the crime branch, methanol supplier Mansoor Khan used to purchase ethanol from Vapi in Gujarat and used to supply it to three city-based dealers, who used to ‘dilute’ the chemical with water and used to sell it in small packets for ₹10 to 20 per piece.

The acquitted accused included: Gautam Arade, Salimuddin Shaikh aka Gentle, Mamata Rathod, Agnes Grasis Gracy aka Gracy Aunty, Kishor Patel, Leeladhar Patel, Prakash Bhai aka Lala alias Gurubhai Patel, Geeta Simran, Subhash Giri and Bharatbhai Patel.