Malwani hooch tragedy: Mumbai cops get custody of main accused

Mumbai city news: Dharmendra Jivbali Singh Tomar alias Sanjay Singh was traced to his house in Indore.

The Mumbai police crime branch on Tuesday secured the custody of a man from Indore who was charged as the main accused in Malwani hooch tragedy that killed 106 persons in June 2015. The victims died after they drank a poisonous concoction of industrial methanol sold to them as hooch.

Dharmendra Jivbali Singh Tomar was arrested in 2015. (FILE PICTURE)

Dharmendra Jivbali Singh Tomar alias Sanjay Singh’s arrest came after the Thane crime branch, investigating a matter after destroying illicit hooch dens in Mumbra, traced him to his house in Indore.

The unit 11 of the Mumbai crime branch, probing the Malwani hooch tragedy, sought Singh’s custody for further investigation in the case. He has been remanded in police custody till June 5.

With Singh’s arrest, the Mumbai police are likely to file a supplementary charge sheet in the case.

In 2015, the crime branch had filed a 13,760-page charge sheet with statements of 577 witnesses. The tragedy struck in Malwani slums on June 18 last year killing 106 persons and injuring over 100.

The prosecution, had in July last year, framed charges against 14 accused arrested in the case. They included local dealers, transporting agents and businessmen.

According to the police, Singh used to supply ethanol to the hooch dealers in Malwani.

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