Man behind illicit liquor that killed 35 in police net

The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police has claimed to have arrested the kingpin of the spurious liquor racket that caused more than 35 deaths in March this year.

The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police has claimed to have arrested the kingpin of the spurious liquor racket that caused more than 35 deaths in March this year.

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The police arrested the accused, Sukhbir (37), on August 31. He had surrendered before a local court on August 25.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Neeraj Thakur said: “He is the kingpin of the network involved in trade and supply of spurious liquor which led to the deaths of many innocent people in Dabri, Khyala and Rajouri Garden in March this year.”

The police have arrested 12 people in connection with the case so far.

“Interrogation of nine people arrested earlier led to the arrest of Sukhbir. They told us the spurious liquor of ‘Shokeen’ brand, that caused the deaths, was manufactured in Gurgaon,” added Thakur.

Acting on these inputs, the police had on May 11 raided a godown in Gurgaon’s Sector-9 and arrested two brothers allegedly involved in the racket.

The police said that the brothers confirmed that the spurious liquor was supplied in Delhi through Sukhbir’s network.
The police also conducted raids in Ahmedabad, Moradabad, Ajmer and Agra to arrest Sukhbir but the accused had managed to evade the police.

The accused had also applied for anticipatory bail in the Sessions Court, which was dismissed.

The police declared Sukhbir a proclaimed offender and attached his property, compelling him to appear before the court. After his interrogation, the police also recovered 70 quarters of the spurious liquor of Shokeen Brand from a desolate place near the Najafgarh Kakrola drain.

Sukhbir is involved in more than eight criminal cases.