After eight people lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor in Panipat and Sonepat, the special investigation team of the Panipat police has unearthed a racket involving manufacturing, transportation and sale of illicit liquor and has arrested 10 people, including the mastermind of the operation.
Police said Naresh Kumar of Naina Tatarpur village, Sonepat, and his partners Kuldeep Singh of Gajbar village and Mohit of Beholi village, Sonepat, had been manufacturing the liquor in a house in Naina Tatarpur village for the last two months. Police have also arrested Bantu of Rajkheri village, Sandeep of Bilaspur village, Panipat and Mandeep of Naina Tatarpur village, Sonepat, and a woman of Dhansoli village for selling the spurious liquor.
The investigation has raised questions over the working of the police and local authorities who were oblivious of the racket until eight people were poisoned. Police officials associated with the investigation, on the condition of anonymity, said most illicit liquor was manufactured in Naina Tatarpur village and was transported to Panipat.
It is learnt that most people involved in the racket had earlier been involved in the sale of illicit liquor. After the accused stopped getting cheap illicit liquor six months ago after a crackdown in several districts, they started manufacturing their own liquor in the name of Rasila Santra, the brand name of popular country made liquor of NV Distillery.
{{/usCountry}}It is learnt that most people involved in the racket had earlier been involved in the sale of illicit liquor. After the accused stopped getting cheap illicit liquor six months ago after a crackdown in several districts, they started manufacturing their own liquor in the name of Rasila Santra, the brand name of popular country made liquor of NV Distillery.
{{/usCountry}}Officials said the accused manufactured the liquor with extra neutral alcohol (ENA), which made it poisonous. After people died after consuming the liquor,state home minister Anil Vij had formed a special investigation team under ADGP, state narcotic control bureau Shrikant Jadhav. to investigate the deaths.
Superintendents of police of Panipat and Sonepat districts had also formed SITs to probe the deaths in their respective districts. Panipat DSP Satish Vats said, “The 10 people arrested were produced before the court and were sent to police remand as the involvement of more people cannot be ruled out.”
Earlier, the SIT formed by the Sonepat police also claimed to have unearthed two spurious liquor manufacturing units in Naina Tatarpur village and Kharkhoda town and had arrested 15 people for their alleged involvement.